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DUKE  UNIVERSITY 


LIBRARY 


The  Glenn  Negley  Collection 
of  Utopian  Literature 


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littp://www.archive.org/details/inoudemonreminisOOdray 


IN  OUDEMON 

REMINISCENCES  OF  AN 
UNKNOWN  PEOPLE  BY  AN 
OCCASIONAL    TRAVELER 


EDITED  BY 


HENRY  S.  DRAYTON 

AUTHOR  OF  "  LIGHT  IN  DARK  PLACES," 
"  HUMAN     MAGNETISM,"     ETC.,    ETC. 


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THE    GRAF  VON    PRESS 
PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1900, 

BY 

Henry  S.  Drayton. 


:xj1(o^t 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     My  Chance  Acquaintance 7 

11.     The   Message   in   Cipher ^y 

III,  On  the  Journey 53 

IV.  Amid   the   Unknown 72 

V.     An  Unofficial  Body 85 

VI.  An  Excursion  with  the  Young  Folks.  102 

VII.     A   Charming   Acquaintance 108 

VIII.  A    Practical    Example    of    Domestic 

Medicine    114 

IX.    An    Embarrassing   Emergency 120 

X.     On    School   Matters 138 

XI.     A  Pleasant  Surprise 154 

XII.  The  Mining  Regions — Gold  and  Sil- 
ver     160 

XIII.  Trade   and    Literature 165 

XIV.  Religion   Made  Mutual 172 

XV.     A  Weapon  of  Destruction 180 

XVI.     The   Mausoleum 191 

XVII.     An  Unlooked-for  Adventure 205 

XVIII.     How   I   Was   Rescued 222 

XIX.     A  Law  Unto  Themselves 233 

XX.     A  Discreet  Step 259 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXI.     From  Home  and  Olive 268 

XXII.  In  a  Laboratory  with  Its  Master.  . .  .  276 

XXIII.  Air  Swimming  and  Science 297 

XXIV.  Banana  Gardens  and  a  Mission 312 

XXV.  In  the  Ancient  Mine  Again 321 

XXVI.  A  Grave  Communication 340 

XXVII.     Returning   Home    348 

XXVIII.    At  Home 365 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE. 


An  urgent  summons  by  messenger  to  the  house 
of  a  venerable  friend,  Mr.  Malcolm  Browne,  long 
retired  from  active  business,  but  ever  cognizant  of 
and  participant  in  the  better  interests  of  the  com- 
munity. Immediately  responding  to  the  call,  I 
arrived  at  213  Bower  Place  only  to  find  myself 
too  late;  the  aged  heart  had  ceased  to  beat,  yet 
over  the  calm  features  there  lingered  the  genial, 
winning  expression  that  all  who  were  favored  by 
his  acquaintance  loved  to  gaze  upon.  Tenderly 
and  reverently  we  performed  the  last,  sad  rites, 
and  on  the  following  day  Mrs.  Browne  handed  me 
a  large  packet,  carefully  wrapped  and  sealed. 

"Ah,  the  manuscript  he  used  to  speak  about?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  old  lady,  most  fitting  com- 
panion to  our  dear  departed  friend;  "you  will  keep 
it  safely  until  I  too  have  gone  beyond " 

The  lovely  woman  has  left  us.  Surely  it  must 
be  that  she  has  rejoined  the  husband  she  lamented 
so  deeply.  Now  I  would  perform  the  trust  under- 
taken at  my  friend's  request,  the  publication  of  the 

5 


manuscript  committed  to  my  charge.  We  knew 
that  in  his  earlier  Hfe  he  had  been  something  of  a 
traveler,  and  had  visited  regions  quite  apart  from 
the  routes  taken  by  the  occasional  tourist,  for  often 
would  he  entertain  guests  with  recitals  of  ex- 
perience and  observation  concerning  countries  and 
peoples  of  which  we  knew  little,  albeit  of  the  land 
and  people  that  form  the  subject  of  the  following 
narrative  he  had  been  silent.  Whether  or  not  it 
would  have  been  wiser  to  continue  that  silence  I 
must  leave  to  your  good  judgment,  my  reader.  If 
I  have  erred  in  this  matter  kindly  attribute  it  to  an 
earnest  sense  of  duty  as  the  literary  executor  of  a 
much  beloved  friend,  and  to  the  feeling  that  what 
he  had  learned  among  the  inhabitants  of  that  "un- 
discovered country"  might  be  of  interest  and 
profitable  in  both  the  material  and  moral  sense  to 
some  of  his  fellow  countrymen. 

The  Editor. 


IN  OUDEMON. 


CHAPTER  I. 

MY    CHANCE    ACQUAINTANCE. 

A  ROUND  of  duties  had  brought  my  hours  as 
Secretary  to  the  well-known  Corporation  of  Per- 
sonal Liabilities  (Limited)  to  their  close  for  the 
day,  and  after  making  up  a  summary  for  the  Super- 
intendent I  departed,  taking  the  course  that  led 
into  the  park  that  spread  its  cooling  shades  within 
half  a  mile  of  our  building.  There  a  vacant  seat 
under  the  close  branches  of  an  old  wax  maple  in- 
vited a  moment's  repose.  A  fair  afternoon  in 
early  June,  there  were  in  that  well-kept  area  of 
leaf  and  flower  many  loungers  whose  dress  and 
manner  offered  a  constantly  varying  pantomime. 
Despite  my  metropolitan  training  the  "passing 
show"  of  human  nature  wherever  it  might  be  met 
was  interesting,  and  in  this  familiar  environment 

7 


it  had  attractions  for  my  inquisitive  senses.  They 
came  and  went  in  endless  chain,  man,  woman, 
youth  and  child,  each  with  his  expression  of  tem- 
perament, race  and  individuality,  while  leaning 
back  in  easy  pose  and  semi-drowse,  or  like  a  Scotch 
terrier  with  one  eye  asleep  and  the  other  awake,  I 
passively  took  note  of  what  appeared  peculiar  or 
novel.  Perhaps  I  had  been  thus  occupied,  or  un- 
occupied, as  you,  good  reader,  may  designate  my 
condition,  for  ten  minutes  when  there  approached, 
walking  leisurely  enough  in  the  train  of  passers,  a 
man  whose  face  aroused  so  much  of  my  attention 
that  I  sat  upright  that  I  might  the  better  see  and 
study  him.  He  passed  on  apparently  in  a  brown 
study,  and  I,  for  a  cause  that  I  could  not  well  ex- 
plain, arose  from  my  seat  and  followed  him,  keep- 
ing some  eight  or  ten  paces  behind.  He  led  me 
thus  on  the  main  promenade  of  the  park  a  hun- 
dred yards  or  so,  then  struck  into  a  side  path. 
Mingling  with  the  few  who  pursued  the  same  course 
I  continued  to  follow  the  stranger.  A  short  dis- 
tance from  the  main  thoroughfare  this  side  path  or 
alley  expanded  into  a  circular  space  of  fifty  feet 
diameter,  at  the  center  of  which  splashed  a  small 
fountain  in  its  granite  basin,  on  whose  circumfer- 
ence were  set  a  half  dozen  benches.  At  this  circle 
my  unknown  leader  stopped  and  took  possession 
of  an  unoccupied  bench.  Glancing  around  I  saw 
a  vacant  seat  nearly  opposite  and  made  my  way  to 
it.     No  sooner  was  the  stranger  fairly  seated  than 

8 


he  took  out  a  leather-bound  book  and  commenced 
writing  in  it.  His  apparent  absorption  in  this  gave 
me  opportunity  to  observe  him  at  my  ease.  He 
seemed  about  fifty  years  old,  as  men  average;  was 
tall,  large  of  limb  and  well  proportioned  in  body. 
A  head  of  good  size,  with  hair  moderately  long 
and  brown  in  color  was  covered  with  a  cap  of  dark 
gray  cloth;  the  vizor  well  projecting  to  shade  the 
eyes,  but  now  pushed  back,  revealed  enough  of  fore- 
head to  show  that  it  was  full  and  high.  A  beard, 
slightly  gray  at  the  sides,  neatly  trimmed,  some- 
what pointed  a  la  Van  Dyke,  imparted  dignity  to 
the  face.  The  eyes  were  large  and  from  the  dis- 
tance of  my  seat,  looked  mildly  and  reflectively  out 
from  their  recesses  under  the  thick  overhanging 
brows. 

There  was  that  in  the  bearing  of  the  man  that 
intimated  serenity  and  poise  of  an  unusual  order, 
and  as  he  continued  his  pencillings  in  the  notebook 
my  study  became  more  absorbing;  indeed,  I  found 
myself  soon  laboring  hard  to  devise  a  plan  or  pre- 
text for  accosting  him.  An  incident  helped  me  in 
this  direction  very  unexpectedly.  A  troop  of  boys 
suddenly  broke  into  our  quiet  retreat.  They  were 
accompanied  by  a  fine  St.  Bernard  dog,  evidently 
young,  and  so  full  of  mischievous  pranks  that  he 
was  the  chief  object  of  their  gamesome  excitement. 
It  was  "Here,  Rupert!"  "Here,  Rupert!"  "Good 
dog!"  shouted  by  one  and  another  in  great  glee, 
and  Rupert  gamboled  from  one  to  the  other,  jump- 

9 


ing  upon  and  almost  overwhelming  the  recipients  of 
his  attention.  The  boys  made  the  fountain  circle 
the  theatre  of  their  sport  and  ran  around  and 
around,  the  dog  pursuing  and  rollicking  with  them. 
The  unknown  paid  little  attention  to  the  melee  at 
first;  then  closing  his  notebook,  he  laid  it  on  the 
bench  beside  him  and  looked  with  an  amused  face 
upon  the  merry  scene.  This,  however,  for  a  few 
minutes  only,  for  in  one  of  his  rounds  the  St.  Ber- 
nard stopped  and  turned  toward  the  stranger  and, 
slowly  walking  to  him,  put  a  huge  paw  upon  his 
knee,  and  looked  up  into  his  face,  as  if  soliciting 
notice.  The  man  patted  him  upon  the  head,  the 
dog  wagging  his  tail  as  if  greatly  pleased.  Then, 
as  if  a  sudden  humor  had  seized  him,  the  cunning 
brute  snatched  the  notebook  and  dashed  off  with  it, 
running  perhaps  forty  feet  and  then  turning  around 
as  if  to  see  the  effect  of  this  last  prank.  The  man 
rose  from  his  seat,  but  did  not  follow  or  say  a  word. 
The  boys,  however,  who,  for  the  most  part,  had 
been  watching  the  dog's  conduct  with  the  stranger, 
now  ran  for  the  rogue,  crying  out,  "Drop  it,  Rupert ; 
drop  it,  drop  it."  But  Rupert  was  bent  on  having 
his  fun,  and  had  no  disposition  to  drop  the  prize 
just  then.  He  would  permit  two  or  three  of  them 
to  come  almost  within  catching  distance,  and  then 
jump  away,  carrying  the  book  securely  between  his 
solid  white  teeth.  Around  the  fountain  the  boys 
drove  him.  In  making  a  circuit  the  dog  took  a 
direction  toward  my  bench,  and,  watching  my  op- 

lO 


portmiity  as  he  passed,  I  tapped  his  nose  smartly 
with  the  palm  of  my  hand.  The  notebook  dropped 
upon  the  concrete,  and  almost  before  the  dog  knew 
he  had  lost  it  I  had  picked  it  up  and  was  back  in  my 
seat.  "Thank  you,  mister,"  cried  the  boy  who  was 
the  dog's  master,  and  with  a  "Beg  your  pardon,  sir," 
he  called  Rupert,  and  the  whole  party  ran  down 
the  walk  out  of  view. 

The  stranger  walked  over  to  my  side  of  the  foun- 
tain, his  face  wearing  a  smile  inexpressibly  win- 
ning. I  rose  to  meet  him  and,  extending  my  hand 
with  the  notebook,  said,  *T  am  glad  to  restore  this 
to  you." 

"Obliged  to  you,  young  friend;  it  was  neatly 
done.  Sometimes  a  dog  will  resent  an  interfer- 
ence in  his  play." 

"Oh,  I  had  no  fear ;  dogs  of  that  breed  are  usually 
good  natured." 

"Yes,  it  appears  so,  sir ;  but  I  am  not  familiar  with 
dogs — scarcely  know  one  kind  from  another." 

"Indeed,  sir,  that  is  strange.  You  certainly  ap- 
pear a  man  of  much  experience." 

"You  are  kind  in  opinion,  but  let  me  sit  by  you. 
In  our  country  there  are  no  dogs." 

"What,  my  good  sir!  a  country  without  dogs!" 

"We  have  no  use  for  them,  so  do  not  keep  them." 

"What  kind  of  people  may  yours  be?"  was  my 
more  than  surprised  inquiry. 

He  smiled  in  that  winning  way,  but  did  not  an- 
swer. 

II 


"Well,"  I  went  on,  "we  have  many  kinds  of  dogs 
among  us ;  not  a  few  of  them  running  about  on  two 
feet,  and  even  less  useful  essentially  than  the  genuine 
canine.  Excuse  my  curiosity — you  are  a  stranger 
in  the  city?" 

"Not  long  since  arrived,  as  you  have  perceived, 
and  cannot  own  to  knowing  anyone  as  a  friend  in 
all  your  population?" 

"Can  I  be  of  any  use  to  you  ?"  burst  from  my  lips, 
perhaps  too  eagerly,  for  my  new  acquaintance 
smiled  again  with  a  certain  twinkle  of  his  deep-set 
eyes  that  suggested  a  humorous  vein.  He  replied, 
slowly : 

"Perhaps,  young  sir,  you  can  be;  just  now  I  have 
little  need  of  help,  however.  Later,  if  it  does  not 
prove  inconvenient,  I  may  ask  some  kindly  office." 

"I  am  not  so  deep  in  business,  sir,  that  I  cannot  do 
a  gentleman  a  little  service.  You  will  find  others, 
many,  in  our  city,  who  will  readily  meet  any  wish 
that  you  may  express." 

"Thank  you  for  the  assurance.  But  may  I  ask 
the  name  of  my  new-found  friend?" 

I  handed  him  one  of  my  business  cards.  He 
examined  it  for  a  moment,  and  said,  "Malcolm 
Browne.'  'Tis  a  right  honest-sounding  name.  Of 
Scottish  origin — a  sturdy,  sensible  race.  I  will 
give  you  my  name."  He  took  out  a  pencil,  and,  de- 
taching a  leaf  from  the  notebook  wrote  upon  it  and 
handed  it  to  me.  "My  name  and  present  address. 
Should  you  find  an  hour's  leisure  to-morrow  even- 

12 


ing  after  7 — your  time — I  shall  be  rarely  pleased  to 
have  you  call  at  my  room."  Rising  as  he  said  this, 
he  bade  me  "A  happy  meeting,  friend,"  and  de- 
parted. 

Glancing  at  the  bit  of  paper,  I  read,  Archbold 
Restling,  of  Oudemon,  78  Church  Terrace. 

DEEPLY  IMPRESSED. 

Of  course  I  arranged  my  affairs  so  that  the  visit 
at  the  rooms  of  the  stranger  could  be  made.  The 
short  colloquy  had  but  deepened  my  interest  in  him ; 
even  the  name  and  address  had  peculiarities,  to  me 
at  least,  for  reinforcing  curiosity.  I  had  never  be- 
fore met  with  the  name  of  Restling,  and  as  for 
Oudemon,  surely  there  was  nothing  in  the  gazetteers 
of  this  country  or  England  that  furnished  a  line  of 
satisfactory  information  concerning  such  a  town 
or  country.  It  must  be  owned  that  the  word  Oude- 
mon proved  a  cause  of  some  irritation  to  my  in- 
quisitive spirit,  and  the  result  of  such  examination  as 
I  could  make  regarding  the  whereabouts  of  a  place 
so  designated,  of  importance  adequate  to  that  I  con- 
sidered worthy  of  mention  on  the  newcomer's  card, 
was  practically  nothing.  Inferentially,  from  the 
silence  of  their  records,  Oudemon  was  a  town,  vil- 
lage or  resident  site  so  insignificant  that  the  statis- 
ticians did  not  esteem  it  worthy  their  notice.  How- 
beit,  that  this  man,  of  bearing  and  qualities  that 
would  give  him  preferment  anywhere,  should  desig- 

13 


nate  the  place  of  his  residence  in  this  formal  style 
could  not  but  intimate  on  any  rational  grounds  that 
this  Oudemon  had  good  claim  to  consideration,  as 
one  among  human  settlements.  That  the  gazet- 
teers of  commerce  and  politics  had  slighted  it  might 
be  attributed  to  those  possibilities  of  mistake  and 
error  that  are  associated  by  scientific  men  with  the 
workings  of  the  human  mind  in  all  departments  of 
activity. 

Mr.  Restling  affected  me  in  ways  that  differed 
much  from  the  impressions  obtained  from  others. 
His  dress  and  mien  had  peculiarities.  Not  that 
there  was  anything  in  them  to  offend  a  delicate  taste, 
but  there  were  variations  from  the  form  and  vogue 
affected  by  men  of  good  social  standing  that  struck 
the  deliberate  observer.  His  clothing  was  be- 
coming, fitted  well,  and  there  was  a  sort  of  natural- 
ness and  ease  in  the  fit  not  seen  usually  among 
those  of  townsmen  who  were  considered  good  dress- 
ers. A  neat  collar,  open  at  the  button,  of  low  cut 
and  of  a  pink-white  fabric,  evidently  undyed,  offered 
no  restraint  to  head  movement;  a  scarf  of  fine, 
glossy  texture,  of  an  olive  tone,  with  a  delicate 
tracery  of  leaves  and  buds  in  orange,  was  folded 
neatly  about  the  collar  and  tied  in  a  loose  knot  with 
short  ends.  His  coat  was  of  a  pattern  approaching 
an  army  officer's  blouse,  of  a  soft  gray,  and  but- 
toned well  up  in  front.  Trousers  and  cap  were  of 
the  same  fine  material,  but  darker  in  tone;  and  the 
shoes  he  wore  were  of  gray  canvas  or  some  such 

14 


cloth,  easy  in  breadth  and  secured  to  the  feet  by- 
small  buckles  or  snap-catches  of  bronze-colored 
metal. 

His  voice  was  gentle  and  winning,  clear  in  ar- 
ticulation, without  the  nervous  emphasis  common 
to  men  of  like  temperament  in  our  city,  and  his  lan- 
guage, well  chosen  and  definite,  had  in  its  expres- 
sion the  characteristics  of  a  well-educated  and  ex- 
perienced man;  yet  no  one,  I  am  sure,  could  listen 
to  him  for  two  minutes  without  conceiving  the  idea 
that  Mr.  Restling  was  of  a  type  and  class  of  people 
rarely  met.  While  his  English  was  unexception- 
able, a  singular  accent  or  timbre  prevailed  in  it  that 
piqued  curiosity.  One  might  have  given  him  a 
birthplace  in  Massachusetts,  a  school  life  say  in 
Baltimore,  and  later  a  career  that  imposed  periods 
of  residence  in  several  foreign  countries ;  but  as  for 
the  country  and  people  of  his  allegiance  your  much- 
traveled  man  would  be  at  a  loss  to  name  it  with  any 
confidence.  He,  however,  appeared  quite  at  ease  in 
strange  surroundings,  his  conduct  being  always  sim- 
ple and  unaffected ;  yet  you  were  conscious  of  a  re- 
served dignity  that  won  upon  your  attention  and 
respect,   inviting  your  confidence — never  repellent. 

Church  Terrace,  by  the  way,  is  a  little  side  street 
in  a  suburban  quarter,  most  appropriate  for  the  resi- 
dence of  those  who  affect  retirement  quite  apart 
from  the  fast-pulsing  movements  of  either  social 
or  commercial  life.  A  very  quiet,  self-contained 
neighborhood,  people  who  live  there,  I  suspect,  are 

15 


much  like  the  burghers  of  Bruck,  jealously  sus- 
picious of  most  strangers  who  invade  their  retreat. 
This  thought  at  any  rate  was  suggested  by  the  in- 
quiring look  of  the  little  German  maid  who  an- 
swered my  pull  upon  the  small  white  knob. 

"Does  Mr.  Restling  live  here?" 

"Yes,"  was  the  answer;  "you  know  him?" 

"Yes."  I  produced  the  slip  on  which  he  had 
written. 

The  girl  looked  at  it  sharply  and  said : 

"Oh,  you  der  man  Mister  Res'ling  like  to  see?" 

"Yes." 

"Vel  den,  come  in;  upstairs  you  find  him  in  der 
room  front  by  der  hall." 

"Thank  you."  Up  the  stairs  I  climbed  and,  turn- 
ing frontward,  had  no  difficulty  in  striking  the  right 
room,  for  on  the  door  was  pinned  a  slip,  evidently 
from  the  same  source  as  the  one  I  held,  with  simply 
"Restling"  upon  it,  in  bold  letters.  Scarcely  had 
my  fingers  ceased  their  light  tap  when  the  door  was 
opened  by  my  new  acquaintance  himself. 

"Come  in,  come  in.  You  are  welcome.  Give 
me  your  hat;  there's  a  chair." 

I  settled  comfortably  into  the  indicated  piece  of 
furniture,  responded  warmly  to  his  salutation,  and 
glanced  about  me.  It  was  a  cheerful  room  and 
neatly  furnished,  the  gas  jets  softened  by  pearl 
shadelets  throwing  a  pleasant  radiance  upon  the 
equipment  and  making  the  occupant  in  his  neglige 
coat  and  slippers  appear  more  interesting  than  ever. 

i6 


He  had  been  reading.  There  were  books  and 
pamphlets  upon  a  side  table,  some  of  them  open. 
The  notebook  that  had  been  the  means  of  our  in- 
troduction to  each  other  lay  with  them.  He  in- 
terpreted my  glance  at  the  table  and  said : 

"Yes,  I  am  usually  employed  one  way  or  another. 
Then  one  picks  up  an  item  occasionally  that  may  be 
of  use,  you  know.     I  am  fond  of  gleaning." 

"Your  notebook  wasn't  injured  by  the  dog's 
teeth?" 

"No,  not  at  all;  look  at  it,  if  you  care  to,"  he  said 
handing  the  article  to  me.  I  examined  the  binding 
and  turned  over  the  leaves  for  a  minute,  then  re- 
turned it  to  the  owner. 

"No,  I  can't  see  that  the  slightest  harm  was  done 
it.  But  it  is  an  exceedingly  well  made  book  for  the 
purpose — very  strong,  yet  so  light  and  flexible;  the 
paper  seems  to  be  of  a  peculiar  sort.  I  am  not 
familiar  with  it." 

"Perhaps  not  up  here — the  fibre  is  obtained  from 
a  low  plant,  something  like  your  meadow  rush  in 
appearance.  As  for  the  quality  of  the  binding, 
that  is  the  way  everything  is  done  in  Oudemon." 

"'Tis  a  comfort,  sir,"  I  rejoined,  "to  live  in  a 
community — it  must  be,  indeed — where  you  can 
trust  your  neighbor  to  do  just  what  you  would 
expect  of  him." 

"With  you,  I  suppose" — there  was  a  trace  of  sar- 
casm in  the  voice — "intentions  go  far  toward  making 
life  acceptable,  and  you  generously  make  amends 

17 


for  and  put  up  with  a  deal  of  inconvenience  and 
neglect ;  and  possibly  think  it  a  virtue  in  you.  With 
us  it  is  quite  different,  I  assure  you.  Intentions 
and  promises  are  carried  into  effect  as  a  matter  of 
course.  What  one  of  us  expects,  he  gets,  and  no 
one  would  think  of  doing  otherwise." 

"My  dear  sir,  you  increase  my  curiosity,  already 
overmuch  excited.  Will  you  tell  me  where  this 
town  or  country  of  Oudemon  is?" 

He  smiled  and  drew  his  chair — one  not  unlike 
those  used  on  ocean  steamers  by  voyageurs  who 
appreciate  comfort — closer  to  mine.  "So,  you 
would  like  to  know  where  Oudemon  is?" 

"Most  certainly,  a  place  with  such  a  satisfactory 
class  of  people  ought  to  be  known  and  read  of  all 
civilization.  If  things  be  as  you  have  intimated 
among  the  Oudemonians  they  can  give  points  on 
matters  of  the  highest  importance  to  us  and  others 
who  boast  an  advanced  enlightenment.  Why,  your 
countrymen  are  the  salt  of  the  earth,  or  ought  to 
be,  but  packed  in  some  obscure  recess  of  the  uni- 
verse, as  they  seem  to  be,  their  seasoning  has  little 
effect  upon  their  degenerate  fellow  mortals." 

He  smiled  at  my  attempt  to  be  facetious,  and  re- 
joined :  "I  do  not  know  regarding  their  saline  prop- 
erties, but  as  for  their  correspondence  with  the 
world  outside  their  own  territory,  it  is  extremely 
limited.  It  is  doubtful  whether  you  would  find 
any  record  of  our  people  on  the  books  of  one  of 
your  great  commercial  houses;  and  probably  none 

iS 


of  your  keen-sighted  economists  has  ever  caught  a 
glimpse  of  our  commonwealth,  however  much  he 
may  have  traveled.  I  have  read  in  many  of  their 
books,  but  never  espied  a  line  that  suggested  a  jot 
of  information  concerning  the  way  Oudemon  folk 
live,  and  what  of  moral  or  civil  superiority  they 
possess  over  the  European  and  North  American 
systems  of  government  and  social  usage." 

"You  deal  in  surprises,  it  seems  to  me,  alto- 
gether," I  exclaimed.  "And  is  Oudemon  only  a 
fiction  after  all?" 

"My  young  friend,  assume  that  it  is  a  solid 
reality,"  was  somewhat  emphatically  replied,  "and 
somewhere  in  the  southern  continent  of  America, 
claiming  a  definite  location." 

"South  America!" 

"Yes;  not  many  degrees  of  longitude  from  Rio 
Janeiro,  westward,  and  within  a  thousand  miles  of 
the  Pacific  coast  by  air  line." 

"Is  it  an  old  city  or  community?" 

"It  boasts  no  ancient  monuments  besides  the  re- 
mains, interesting  enough  certainly,  of  a  race  long 
extinct.  Thither  a  century  or  more  ago  an  enthu- 
siast with  a  scheme  of  colonization  led  a  party  of 
four  hundred  converts.  A  settlement  was  estab- 
lished, to  which  other  converts  came  until  a  thou- 
sand or  more  souls  were  numbered.  Thirty-five 
years  later — but  this  in  confidence" — he  spoke 
gravely;  I  bowed  in  wide-eyed  sincerity,  my  hands 
nervously  clasping  a  knee,  as  if  I  were  listening  to 

10 


a  prophet  of  the  old  Syrian  time — "I  feel  that  you 
will  be  true;  not  that  there  is  any  fear  of  exposure 
— but  I  would  not  have  you  subjected  to  the  sneers 
and  ridicule  of  skeptics.  As  I  was  about  to  say, 
thirty-five  years,  nearly,  after  the  colony  had  been 
started,  and  it  had  grown  wonderfully  in  that  time, 
a  terrible  cataclysm  occurred  on  the  western  fron- 
tier of  our  territory — a  great  mountain  upheaval, 
resulting  in  the  complete  closing  up  of  the  only  route 
or  trail  to  our  settlement.  This  was  ascertained  by 
subsequent  explorations  undertaken  by  Oudemon 
engineers.  A  great,  rocky  ridge  now  occupies  the 
site  of  the  former  mountain  slopes,  with  precipitous 
sides  thousands  of  feet  in  height ;  so  steep  and  sharp, 
indeed,  that  not  even  a  chamios  could  scale  them," 

"But  you,  sir,  are  here,"  I  murmured,  scarcely 
above  my  breath. 

"Yes,  and  others  of  our  people  might  be  here,  too, 
if  they  chose;  for  while  the  geology  of  our  border 
is  so  forbidding  to  the  outside  world,  it  offers  no 
hindrance  to  us,  if  it  be  desirable  to  visit  the  out- 
side world." 

"You  certainly  enjoy  privileges,  then,  that  are 
unknown  to  us,  good  sir.  But  pardon  me,  if  I 
inquire  more  of  your  national  affairs.  I  am  not  an 
official  here,  but  have  been  long  interested  in  mat- 
ters of  civil  policy — on  the  side  of  reform  meas- 
ures." 

He  smiled  at  this  and  rejoined :  "I  cannot  give 
you  many  points  of  use  in  your  study,  because — 

20 


so  far  as  our  home  relations  go — we  do  not  pur- 
sue a  course  at  all  like  yours " 

My  expression  of  uncertainty  as  to  his  meaning 
was  readily  caught,  for  he  added:  "We  have  no 
government  in  the  sense  which  is  common  with 
you." 

"No  government?  Then  how  do  you  adminis- 
ter public  affairs?" 

"Everything  of  public  interest  and  public  benefit 
is  a  matter  of  common  concern  with  us  all,  old  and 
young,"  he  answered  quietly. 

"So  it  ought  to  be,"  I  emphasized ;  "yet  with  us 
it  is  a  matter  of  party  or  faction  appropriation  or 
control.  But  how  do  you  manage  about  the  expen- 
ditures, or  cost  of  public  improvements,  and  things 
of  general  utility — who  pays  the  expenses  ?  Surely, 
you  cannot  get  along  without  a  Board  of  Finance !" 

His  eyes  twinkled  with  amusement.  "We  get 
along  very  comfortably  without  such  an  institu- 
tion. In  fact,  we  have  no  official  class,  and  no  sys- 
tem of  taxation  for  their  maintenance." 

"Pray,  my  dear  Mr.  Restling,  enlighten  me  a 
little  on  this  subject;  although  something  of  an 
idealist  regarding  the  possibilities  of  human  nature, 
your  declaration  amazes  me." 

"Willingly,  my  young  friend.  We  have,  indeed,  a 
company — or  board,  if  you  please — of  our  older 
men  and  women,  whom  we  call  councillors ;  not  ap- 
pointed or  elected,  but  rather  generally  recognized 
as  worthy  of  respect  because  of  their  experience  and 

21 


matured  judgment — natural  ministers  and  guides 
in  affairs  affecting  the  general  welfare  of  our  com- 
munity." 

"I  think  I  understand  you,  sir.  We  have  in  our 
smaller  communities,  villages  or  boroughs,  bodies  of 
men  who  hold  office  without  pay;  and  they  repre- 
sent the  best  class  of  the  residents.  It  is  certainly 
true  that  public  affairs  in  those  places  are  more 
faithfully  and  satisfactorily  administered  than  in 
most  of  the  towns  that  have  boards  of  well-paid 
men  to  give  all  their  time  to  public  duty.  When 
I  was  a  boy  we  lived  in  a  town  then  quite  small — 
say  7,500  people;  it  has  now  over  100,000.  My 
father  was  one  of  the  'Town  Committee,'  and  al- 
though a  very  enterprising  business  man,  occupied 
from  seven  in  the  morning  until  eight  at  night  in 
his  store,  he  gave  one  evening  a  week  to  town 
affairs,  and  was  content  with  the  honor  attached  to 
the  position.  He  took  pleasure  in  speaking  of  the 
simple  method  then  adopted  for  'running'  the  town, 
and  the  economy  practiced  in  expenditure;  often 
contrasting  them  with  the  policy  of  later  days,  when 
there  had  grown  up  a  large  and  complex  system  of 
municipal  government,  with  a  great  array  of  high- 
salaried  functionaries.  There  was  party  opposition 
in  that  early  time,  but  no  'boss  rule' — which  you 
may  not  need  to  have  explained" — Restling  laughed 
quietly  and  nodded  for  me  to  continue — "and  no 
partisan  jobbery.  To  be  sure,  there  were  no  great 
spoils  of  ofifice  then  to  stimulate  the  greed  and  ani- 

22 


mosities  of  men,  and  no  chiseling  of  bids  and  con- 
tract frauds  as  now.  A  few  men  transacted  all 
the  business  deemed  necessary,  without  thought  of 
pay  or  commissions,  and  that  without  the  aid  of 
deputies,  secretaries  and  supernumeraries,  such  as 
now  apparently  exist  only  to  make  drafts  upon  the 
public  treasury  and  to  increase  the  burden  of  taxa- 
tion and  vexation  upon  the  industrious  and  thrifty 
few.  In  our  city  here,  we  are  not  worse  off  than 
the  citizens  of  other  places,  but  political  movements 
are  to  us  of  private  station  a  series  of  almost  con- 
stant surprises.  We  never  can  tell  what  the  party 
in  power  will  do  next,  although  quite  sure  that  its 
leaders  will  do  their  best  to  keep  possession  of  the 
places  of  authority  and  emolument  by  any  and  all 
means,  however  corrupt  and  unscrupulous." 

"It  seems  strange,  especially  to  me,"  the  stranger 
rejoined  in  a  vein  of  reflection,  "that  civilized  com- 
munities hold  so  tenaciously  to  old  methods  affect- 
ing their  general  and  domestic  life  in  spite  of  knowl- 
edge, especially  as  those  old  methods  have  been 
demonstrated  unworthy  of  an  intelligence  such  as 
modern  people  claim.  Your  large  towns  and  cities, 
friend  Malcolm" — I  could  not  help  a  look  of  grati- 
tude for  this  familiar  address — "with  their  dispari- 
ties of  birth,  education  and  circumstances  of  living 
among  the  people,  are  unhappy  aggregations.  We 
believe  that  such  centralization  of  population  in  it- 
self is  a  cause  of  much  of  the  evil  from  which  you 
suffer.    In  a  smaller  community  high  moral  principle 

23 


has  a  chance  of  recognition.  There  may  be  few 
good  men  in  it,  but  they  become  known  and  their 
influence  is  felt.  In  the  large  city,  with  its  mass 
of  people  variant  in  type  and  race  and  sympathy, 
dependent  for  the  wages  of  subsistence  upon  daily 
labor,  which  may  be  offered  or  withheld  almost  at 
the  pleasure  of  a  privileged,  money-arrogant  class, 
the  moral  temperature  is  low;  honor,  truth  and 
duty  are  not  the  ruling  virtues  commanding  gen- 
eral respect ;  indeed,  the  very  struggle  for  the  neces- 
saries of  life  in  which  the  masses  are  engaged  ren- 
ders their  sense  of  moral  integrity  dull.  Centrali- 
zation of  population  and  of  power  is  not  an  eco- 
nomical advantage  to  men,  and  does  not  promote 
their  best  interests-T-the  welfare  of  body  and  soul. 
Does  not  all  history  from  ancient  time  till  now 
prove  it?" 

"You  have  no  city  or  metropolitan  center,  then, 
my  dear  sir?" 

"No;  only  our  district  sections  for  social  con- 
venience and  mutual  cooperation.  But  now,  my 
young  friend,  that  clock" — which  was  then  striking 
nine — "warns  me — may  I  send  you  away?  I  have 
certain  things  to  do  before  seeking  yonder  bed,  and 
our  time  for  'turning  in,'  as  you  sailors  say,  is  be- 
tween nine  and  ten  of  your  hours.  If  you  please, 
and  it  is  no  interference  with  your  engagements, 
let  us  meet  at  five  of  the  evening  to-morrow  at  that 
little  fountain  where  the  roguish  dog  made  us  ac- 
quainted." 

24 


Rising  from  the  chair  as  he  concluded,  he  offered 
a  hand  which  I  seized  without  a  word. 

"Good-by;  I  shall  be  there,"  he  added,  opening 
the  door  into  the  passage. 

"Good-by,  sir,"  I  responded.  "I  shall  be  there, 
too,  you  may  be  sure." 

On  my  way  to  my  lodgings  I  was  quite  lost  in 
meditation  on  the  singular  character  of  this  inter- 
view. Thoughts  of  uncertainty,  doubt,  mistrust 
and  wonder  mingled  in  the  current.  What  did  it 
mean?  Who  was  this  man?  Could  there  be  any 
such  country  as  Oudemon?  What  sort  of  a  story 
was  that  of  its  being  cut  off  from  the  world  by  a 
great  upheaval  of  nature?  Was  I  dreaming?  Was 
I  the  dupe  of  a  smart  knave,  or  under  the  spell  of 
a  paranoiac  as  the  doctors  have  it,  with  "a  sys- 
tematized delusion."  Certainly  there  was  nothing 
sinister  in  the  appearance  or  language  of  the  man; 
indeed,  all  his  manner  was  penetrated  by  a  frank 
simplicity,  A  knave  would  not  have  attempted  to 
gain  my  trust  by  retailing  a  story  whose  patent  im- 
probability would   be   likely  to   awaken  suspicion. 

Whatever  he  might  be  I  determined  to  see  more 
of  him,  and,  if  possible,  elicit  something  of  his  pur- 
pose, if  he  had  a  purpose  in  sojourning  among  us. 

AT    THE    FOUNTAIN    AGAIN. 

At  five  of  the  next  day  I  was  seen  turning  into  the 
alley  that  led  to  the  fountain  circle,  and  making 


my  way  to  the  bench  where  the  stranger  had  tarried 
on  the  (to  me)  memorable  occasion  of  our  first 
meeting.  I  found  it  unoccupied,  and  had  scarcely 
sat  down  when  the  voice  of  Restling  hailed  me : 

"I  was  right  behind  you,  my  friend,  as  you 
walked  here.     Don't  you  ever  have  impressions?" 

Looking  up  quickly  I  replied : 

"I  wasn't  aware  of  your  nearness,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, Mr.  Restling.  I  know  people  who  pretend 
to  certain  sensations  or  anticipations  regarding  the 
approach  of  others.  Do  you  have  'impressions,'  as 
you  call  them  ?" 

He  seated  himself  by  my  side,  and  in  his  pleasant 
manner  said : 

"Yes,  it  is  a  common  experience  with  certain  of 
us  at  home  to  have  impressions.  You  could  not 
very  well  go  to  visit  one  of  them  without  giving 
him  an  intimation  of  your  coming ;  that  is,  he  would 
receive  a  thought  or  idea  clearly  enough  to  inform 
him  that  some  one — he  might  sense  the  real  person 
— would  be  at  his  house  within  a  certain  time;  and 
so  he  would  be  ready  to  meet  you.  Very  con- 
venient, eh?" 

"I  must  own  very  convenient.  Of  course,  I  am 
not  quite  ignorant  of  this  sort  of  thing,  but  most 
instances  are  to  be  placed  to  the  account  of  coinci- 
dence; is  it  not  so?" 

"If  you,  Malcolm,  of  the  good  Browne  stock, 
lived  with  us  of  Oudemon  a  few  months  you  would 
place  them  to  the  account  of  mental  development  or 

26 


psychic  acuteness.  Now  in  the  way  of  communica- 
tion at  a  distance  you  probably  think  your  improved 
telegraphic  methods  a  very  remarkable  instrument- 
ality, but  in  our  country  we  have  people  who  can 
talk  with  each  other  although  separated  by  miles 
of  distance,  and  need  no  elaborate  apparatus  of  bat- 
teries, magnets,  diaphragms,  wires,  etc.,  to  assist 
them." 

"Strange  visitant  from  another  sphere  as  you 
appear  to  be,"  I  rejoined,  "my  wonder  has  been  ex- 
panding from  the  first  moment  you  were  seen  in 
this  vicinity;  and  now  my  astonishment  can  only 
ask,  in  all  humility,  how  is  this  done?" 

He  laughed  audibly,  and  gently  clapped  a  hand 
upon  my  shoulder. 

"Well,  young  sir,  our  people  have  learned  cer- 
tain facts  regarding  the  constitution  of  the  air 
and  the  forces  of  nature,  and  made  them  useful  in 
our  everyday  life.  We  have  found,  through  ex- 
periment and  study,  that  there  are  points  of  contact 
or  assimilation  between  the  human  mind  and  these 
forces,  and  by  a  nice  adjustment  of  motive,  will, 
effort,  ideas  and  feelings  may  be  projected  beyond 
self  and  transported  to  certain  places  as  may  be 
desired." 

"How  very  convenient!  What  a  triumph  of 
mind  over  nature!"  I  burst  out.  "And  that  an 
isolated  people  should  accomplish  it !  How  I  should 
like  to  visit  them!  Are  foreigners  permitted  to 
enter  your  territory,  sir?" 

27 


"Yes,  if  they  can  get  in?" 

"Oh,  I  recall  what  you  told  me  last  evening-,  of 
that  great  cosmic  change  on  your  western  frontier." 

"On  certain  conditions  a  stranger  might  enter 
Oudemon.  So  little  is  known  of  us,  however,  that 
there  is  on  record  but  one  or  two  outsiders  who 
have  shown  inclination  to  enter  our  domain,  and 
they,  we  believe,  were  adventurous  persons  who 
found  the  peculiar  geology  of  our  border  a  subject 
of  interest.  I  doubt  that  they  even  imagined  that  a 
community  of  industrious  and  comfortable  people 
lived  beyond  those  frowning  ridges.  It  is  common 
enough  for  mining  prospectors  to  come  up  from 
the  Pacific  and  survey  the  neighboring  region,  be- 
cause at  some  points  along  the  river  there  are  known 
to  be  deposits  of  silver  and  gold,  and  legends  are 
common  to  the  effect  that  hundreds  or  thousands 
of  years  ago  gold,  silver,  copper,  tin  and  precious 
stones,  as  they  are  called,  were  mined  in  great  quan- 
tities by  the  ancient  race  or  races  that  inhabited  the 
hills  and  upper  plains.  We  have  old  mines  that 
were  worked  ages  back,  and  still  supply  in  ample 
measure  metals  highly  esteemed  by  your  civiliza- 
tion." 

"And  your  people,  of  a  different  and  better  civil- 
ization," I  rejoined,  with  some  irony  that  could 
scarcely  be  suppressed,  "don't  care  for  the  so-called 
'precious  metals,'  the  substantial  basis  of  business 
operations  and  commercial  credit  the  world  over; 
they  have  no  necessities,  I  infer,  that  gold  and  silver 

28 


would  subserve.  Fortunate,  happy  folks  the  Oude- 
monians  must  be;  and  I  am  impelled  to  repeat  that 
I  should,  indeed,  like  to  visit  them,  and  learn,  if 
my  poor  intelligence  were  adequate  to  the  task,  such 
lessons  as  would  be  invaluable  to  me  and  my  kind. 
Perhaps  I  could  then  be  an  humble  means  of  doing 
some  real  good  for  this  great  outer  world  of  mine." 

Restling's  calm  eyes  looked  into  mine  as  I  spoke, 
and  the  half  smile  that  poised  upon  his  lips  exhibited 
his  amusement  at  my  warmth,  and  his  understand- 
ing of  my  meaning.  A  pause  ensued,  each  look- 
ing steadily  at  the  other.     He  broke  silence. 

"My  young  friend,  you  are  evidently  sincere. 
The  way  may  be  found  for  your  entrance  into  our 
country.  But  there  will  be  need  of  patience  on  your 
part  and  effort  that  will  declare  itself.  Pardon 
me,  if  I  do  not  enter  into  details ;  they  will  be  offered 
for  your  consideration  later.  Once  in  our  country 
you  will  not  find  yourself  in  very  strange  company, 
although  you  may  see  and  hear  things  that  will 
contrast  strikingly  with  the  methods  and  opinions 
that  obtain  there." 

"If  the  way  can  be  opened  for  my  visit  I  am 
certainly  in  the  mood,  Mr.  Restling,  to  attempt  it. 
Being  a  bachelor,  and  having  no  compulsory  respon- 
sibilities just  at  present  to  meet,  I  can  leave  the  city 
within  a  month  for  north  or  south ;  and  my  interest 
in  human  nature  is  such  that  any  opportunity  to 
study  life  in  peculiar  or  novel  states  has  a  very 
strong  attraction  for  me." 

29 


"Now,  this  is  well,  Malcolm,"  returned  he. 
"This  morning  I  received  an  impression  that  signi- 
fies an  early  departure  for  the  South,  possibly  to- 
morrow, if  further  advised.  Will  you,  at  any  rate, 
go  up  to  Church  Terrace  to-morrow  evening?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Then  I  will  say  good-by  to  you.  In  our  country 
we  leave  each  other  with  'A  happy  meeting  soon.'  " 

I  was  surprised  by  this  announcement — so  soon 
parted !  He  saw  in  my  face  the  shade  of  disappoint- 
ment and  said: 

"You  are  surprised?" 

"Yes,  and  more,  very  sorry,"  I  answered,  "for 
I  have  been  nursing  the  thought  that  for  some  time 
I  should  enjoy  opportunities  of  meeting  and  talk- 
ing with  you.  Many  suggestions  have  occurred  to 
me  that  I  should  be  glad  to  have  your  views  upon. 
Will  you  return  to  the  city?" 

"If  I  go  southward  probably  not,  especially  if  I 
return  to  Oudemon,  which  is  not  my  immediate  pur- 
pose. But  you  may  visit  us;  and  then  we  should 
have  frequent  talks,  and  I  or  others  wiser  might 
discuss  your  queries  and  suggestions.  There" — 
suddenly  pausing  as  if  something  had  arrested  his 
attention,  he  remained  quiet  and  abstracted  for  at 
least  three  minutes,  then  resumed — "a  communica- 
tion that  calls  me  again." 

Pressing  my  hand  warmly  he  rose  and  walked 
away  with  long  strides. 

I  gazed  at  the  man  until  he  had  disappeared  from 
30 


view.  A  wonder,  indeed,  he  had  become  to  me. 
A  traveler  from  some  distant  star,  the  dark  com- 
panion of  Sirius,  for  instance,  could  not  have  ab- 
sorbed or  fascinated  me  more.  Nothing  unnatural 
or  unearthly  about  him,  for  all  that — no,  man  like 
myself,  yet  exhibiting  elements  markedly  uncom- 
mon, at  least  in  their  expression;  a  man  developed 
in  certain  degrees  of  faculty  and  spirit  beyond  the 
experience  of  the  people  among  whom  I  mingled 
daily.  It  was  not  his  knowledge  of  the  world,  its 
history,  science,  politics,  that  compelled  my  respect, 
for  he  did  not  affect  great  learning  or  pretend  to 
eminent  ability — no,  it  was  rather  the  evidences  of 
higher  or  deeper  manhood,  of  the  essentials  of  a 
broader  humanity  than  appeared  in  my  neighbors 
and  friends.  He  was  simple  in  statement,  as  ap- 
pears in  the  conversation  I  have  reported,  and  this 
plainly  enough  was  his  common  manner.  But  there 
was  a  serenity  of  expression,  a  cast  of  feature  most 
unusual,  a  habit  of  pose  and  movement  that  could 
not  be  otherwise  than  striking  to  any  one  who  ob- 
served him  for  a  little  time.  I  could  not  conceive 
a  recluse  of  the  Caucasus,  or  a  mystic  of  the  Altai, 
in  whom  the  evidences  of  self-mastery  and  breadth 
of  soul  were  more  decided  and  impressive.  While 
near  him  his  influence  seemed  of  a  nature  so  unlike 
that  of  my  everyday  associates  that  it  imparted  a 
buoyancy  of  feeling  and  faculty  that  was  most  agree- 
able. My  manhood  seemed  to  expand  in  the  light 
of  his  quiet,   kindly  eyes.      Often  I  exclaimed  in 


thought:  "Happy  Oudemon,  if  there  are  many  Hke 
this  man  among  thy  people!" 


so    SOON    DEPARTED. 

"A  fool  at  forty  is  a  fool  indeed,"  says  a  time- 
tried  adage. 

I  was  a  little  past  thirty-six  then,  and  had  seen 
something  of  the  world,  and,  without  egotism,  re- 
garded myself  much  removed  from  the  imputation 
of  folly.  True,  I  had  not  climbed  many  rungs  of 
the  ladder  of  success,  as  my  fellows,  for  the  most 
part,  regard  success,  but  had  sought  in  my  leisure 
to  acquire  information  concerning  matters  apart 
from  the  business  calling  that  I  had  pursued  since 
the  attainment  of  my  majority.  I  had  studied  lan- 
guages and  music;  I  had  traveled  in  foreign  lands 
for  business  and  mental  profit;  and,  as  opportunity 
might  offer,  attended  meetings  and  congresses  of 
scientific  and  literary  folk,  besides  studying  the 
politics  and  social  movements  of  my  own  and  Euro- 
pean Governments.  Among  my  friends  I  passed 
for  a  man  of  more  than  average  capacity,  some  in- 
sisting that  I  needed  ambition  only  to  take  good 
rank  among  the  leaders  of  society.  Perhaps  these 
were  right ;  nevertheless,  I  had  long  treasured,  deep 
in  my  soul,  the  thought  that  sometime  the  "wave" 
would  come  which  I  should  take  "at  the  flood"  and 
so  "roll  on  to  fortune."  In  the  main,  however,  my 
aspirations  were  modest,  and  if  given  to  study  and 

32 


travel,  in  some  respects  it  was  because  such  lines  of 
mental  avocation  were  pleasant  and  I  gained  thereby 
what  seemed  to  me  more  worthy  of  respect  by  much 
than  the  physical  emoluments  that  are  estimated 
by  the  dollar  standard. 

When  the  demure  German  maid  responded  to  my 
ring  at  78  Church  Terrace  she  looked  at  me  gravely 
and  said : 

"He  not  dere ;  he  gone — to-day." 

"Is  there  no  message?  Did  he  not  leave  any 
word  for  me — Mr.  Browne?" 

"Oh,  may  be;  you  wait,  blease."  She  darted  up- 
stairs, but  soon  returned,  holding  a  small  packet  in 
her  hand. 

"Dis  for  you?    Your  name,  'Browne'  on  it." 

I  took  it.     "And  this  is  all  ?" 

"Dat's  all.  Mister  Res'ling  say  if  you  come  to 
look  on  der  table,  and  dell  you  he  vas  gone." 

"Thank  you.     Good  evening." 

"Goot-by,  Mister  Browne,"  and  the  door  closed, 
while  I  turned  and  left  the  house.  Noting  that  the 
packet  was  sealed  and  tied  with  double  thread  I 
placed  it  in  my  breast  pocket,  and  made  my  way 
home  by  the  most  direct  route. 

In  the  quiet  of  my  room  I  drew  out  the  little 
souvenir,  for  such  I  expected  to  find  it  of  a  brief  yet 
pleasant  companionship,  and  opened  it.  A  folded 
sheet  of  paper  and  a  two-leaved  card  were  its  con- 
tents.    On  the  paper  was  written  the  following: 

33 


"My  Dear  Young  Friend:  Regretting  the 
necessity  for  sudden  departure — there  is  no  choice 
in  the  matter  by  the  terms  of  our  Royal  Law — I 
frankly  admit  that  in  our  few  meetings  I  had  grown 
to  like  you.  It  is  impossible  to  venture  a  thought 
in  regard  to  another  visit  on  my  part  here.  You 
have  said  that  you  would  like  to  visit  Oudemon. 
Such  a  visit  is  a  possibility  to  one  of  a  tactful  and 

venturesome  nature,  provided ,     You  have  won 

my  confidence.  If  you  should  make  the  attempt  to 
travel  far  southward  and  find  our  country  your 
quest  might  not  prove  vain.  If  you  are  sincere  in 
the  desire,  and  I  believe  that  you  are,  the  inclosed 
card  may  be  of  service.  Keep  it  safely  for  one 
month.  If  at  the  end  of  that  time  your  mind  is  not 
made  up  with  respect  to  the  undertaking,  destroy 
the  card,  keeping  no  memorandum  of  any  part  of 
it.  By  so  doing  you  will  make  an  end  of  what  is 
intended  only  for  your  eyes  and  use,  and  at  the  same 
time  oblige  the  writer  of  this  message.  We  may 
meet  again;  the  Good  One  may  will  it.  So  a 
happy  meeting  soon!  A.  R." 

I  read  this  farewell  slowly  and  meditatively,  and 
then  examined  the  card.  The  exposed  sides  were 
blank;  opening  it  one  side  revealed  a  number  of 
lines  and  marks  which  are  here  reproduced : 

The  other  side  contained  what  appeared  to  be  a 
series  of  notes  in  a  peculiar  character  not  unlike  the 
stenographic   outlines  of  the  old   Pitman   system. 

34 


When  I  had  the  stranger's  notebook  in  my  hand  and 
was  commenting  on  the  excellent  workmanship  of  its 
maker,  I  caught  glimpses  of  leaves  containing  char- 
acters which  I  then  supposed  to  be  a  kind  of  short- 


/tj  \  or 


hand.  Now  those  on  the  card  recalled  the  marks 
in  the  notebook.  Here  was  a  problem  evidently 
devised  for  my  solution,  and  upon  my  success  in 
solving  it  would  depend  my  ability  to  find  and 
scale  the  frowning  outposts  of  that  mysterious 
Oudemon, 

35 


CHAPTER  11. 


THE  MESSAGE  IN   CIPHER. 


Every  normal  man  has  his  confidential  friends. 
I  had;  and  although  unmarried  at  the  mature  age 
of  thirty-six  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  there  was 
no  woman  in  whose  society  I  did  not  find  pleasure 
and  comfort.  By  natural  inclination  I  was  social, 
and  entertained  a  high  esteem  for  women.  The 
only  son  of  three  children,  my  mother  had  always 
shown  great  fondness  for  me,  and  after  my  tenth 
year  she  had  treated  me  as  a  companion  more  than 
as  a  boy  or  subordinate.  She  took  much  pride  in 
my  maturing  powers  of  mind  and  body,  and  after 
the  death  of  father,  although  I  was  barely  twenty 
she  looked  to  me  for  the  performance  of  those  duties 
that  belong  to  the  man  as  guardian  of  the  family. 
My  sisters  were  both  older  than  myself,  had  mar- 
ried before  they  were  twenty-five,  and  for  several 
years  after  the  younger  one  had  gone  with  her 
husband  to  set  up  their  own  household,  mother  and 
I  lived  in  the  old  home,  with  the  pleasant  environ- 
ment of  friends  and  acquaintances  that  had  grown 
with  its  continuance. 

A  year  before  the  meeting  with  Restling  my 
mother  had  gone  to  live  with  her  elder  daughter, 

36 


who  filially  enough  had  insisted  upon  the  step,  plead- 
ing that  she  needed  a  mother's  counsel  and  compan- 
ionship more  than  a  big  old  bachelor  of  a  son  did, 
who  ought  to  have  a  wife  and  home  of  his  own,  and 
not  expect  to  monopolize  the  time  and  affection  of 
his  mother  when  she  had  other  children  whose  rights 
in  her  were  as  good  as  his,  if  not  better.  I  had  in- 
deed met  with  young  women  who  were  in  every  way 
desirable  for  wives,  but  when  one  at  thirty  has  a 
good  mother  and  a  very  comfortable  home  he  does 
not  feel  the  impulse  toward  matrimony  that  the 
young,  homeless  and  motherless  bachelor  does — 
especially  in  the  presence  of  good  opportunities.  I 
will  own  that  there  was  just  then  a  young  woman 
for  whose  good  opinion  I  entertained  some  solici- 
tude, and  whose  company  I  frequently  sought.  We 
had  been  friends  for  a  long  time,  and  had  become 
intimate  enough  to  feel  a  certain  satisfaction  in  con- 
ferring with  each  other  regarding  matters  that  ap- 
peared of  more  than  average  importance  in  life's 
routine.  No  expression  of  love  had  passed  between 
us,  yet,  for  my  own  part,  had  occasion  led  to  a  fancy 
for  any  other  woman,  my  conscience  or  chivalric 
spirit  would  probably  have  compelled  me  to  think 
that  Olive  Helane  had  claims  for  consideration  that 
should  not  be  lightly  ignored.  Olive  was  a  teacher 
in  a  well-known  institute,  receiving  a  respectable 
salary  for  her  services  as  instructor  in  Latin  and 
rhetoric.  This  fact  made  her  independent  so  far 
as  support  was  concerned,  of  father  and  family,  and 

2>7 


being  thirty  years  old  she  was  mature  enough  to  act 
for  herself  in  social  and  other  affairs. 

Of  course,  I  told  Olive  about  the  stranger  from 
Oudemon,  and  we  speculated  gravely  on  his  purpose 
in  visiting  our  city,  and  exchanged  guesses  as  to 
the  whereabouts  of  his  mysterious  country  and  the 
character  of  his  people.  I  desired  greatly  to  show 
his  letter  to  her,  but  the  terms  of  confidence  in  which 
it  was  penned  were  so  definite  I  felt  myself  under 
bonds  to  keep  silence,  even  regarding  the  fact  of  a 
message  from  him. 

At  once  I  grappled  with  the  problem  set  by  the 
stranger  friend.  The  sketch  on  one  leaf  of  the  card 
has  been  already  exhibited,  and  to  that  I  refer 
the  reader  for  a  moment;  for  after  some  reflection 
I  concluded  that  this  sketch  was  probably  an  outline 
of  certain  features  of  the  country  near  or  adjoining 
Oudemon.  The  study  of  a  large  map  of  South 
America  strengthened  the  conclusion.  The  letters 
C.  A.  T.  I  thought  represented  settlements  more  or 
less  important,  which  I  shall  leave  to  the  guessing 
faculty  of  the  readers  to  make  out,  especially  as  I 
have  given  them  a  clue  or  two  that  I  was  compelled 
to  divine  for  myself.  The  figures  14-20,  65-25  gave 
me  no  little  trouble,  and  for  some  days  no  satisfac- 
factory  headway  was  made  with  them,  until  their 
obscurity  was  cleared  up  in  a  way  as  simple  as  it 
was  unexpected.  While  scanning  the  Bolivian  fron- 
tier and  estimating  the  distance  of  different  points 
thereon  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  the  query  sprang  into 

38 


my  mind,  May  not  these  numbers  have  something  to 
do  with  latitude  and  longitude?  Employing  them 
in  this  sense,  and  comparing  the  locality  of  the  pecu- 
liar cross  mark  in  the  sketch  with  the  map  I  was 
persuaded  that  I  had  found  a  point  of  important 
service.  Later  the  discovery  was  confirmed,  as  will 
be  seen. 

Turning  now  to  the  peculiar  marks  or  writing  on 
the  other  leaf  of  the  card  I  scrutinized  them  one  by 
one,  and  made  a  list  of  them,  placing  in  groups  those 
of  similar  outline.  Several  hours  were  devoted  to 
this  task,  with  the  final  inference  that  I  was  dealing 
certainly  with  a  species  of  stenography,  the  charac- 
ters of  which,  in  letter  and  word  outline,  were 
simpler  than  those  of  Graham  or  Reed.  Every  day 
I  gave  time  to  this  study  when  leisure  permitted  re- 
tirement to  some  place  where  I  could  be  free  from 
interruption.  At  the  beginning  I  presumed  too 
much  upon  my  knowledge  of  shorthand  as  it  had 
been  learned  in  youth ;  for,  try  as  I  would,  the  out- 
lines of  Restling's  memorandum,  by  comparison 
with  the  characters  familiar  to  my  experience  fur- 
nished no  consistent  result,  and  the  conclusion 
forced  itself  upon  the  mind  that  I  had  to  deal  with 
are  entirely  different  system  of  writing  from  that  in 
vogue  with  the  stenographers  and  reporters  of  our 
city. 

There  were  thirty-nine  separate  outlines  which  I 
accepted  as  representing  so  many  distinct  words. 
Analysis  of  these  words  showed  them  composed  of 

39 


one  hundred  and  seventy-two  distinct  characters. 
Classified,  these  showed  three  letters  standing  alone, 
eight  words  of  two  letters,  seven  of  three  letters, 
nine  of  four  letters,  six  of  five  letters,  seven  of  six 
letters,  one  of  seven  letters,  three  of  nine  letters.  In 
these  I  found  the  following  repetitions,  which,  ac- 
cording to  the  rule  of  probabilities,  I  assumed  to  be 
those  of  characters  representing  vowels  or  their  com- 
pound sounds :  One  was  repeated  eighteen  times, 
another  sixteen  times,  another  sixteen  times  also, 
another  fifteen  times,  another  eleven  times.  The 
two  occurring  most  frequently  I  supposed  to  be  a 
and  e;  that  is,  a  or  e  was  one  of  those  occurring 
sixteen  times,  and  I  was  equally  sure  that  the  con- 
sonant t  was  to  be  regarded  as  occurring  frequently, 
but  subordinately  of  course  to  the  common  vowels 
a  and  e. 

My  attempts  to  spell  out  words,  however,  proved 
lamentable  failures,  and  despite  all  experimentation 
three  weeks  passed  without  a  result  that  could  be 
accepted  as  positive.  Then  a  half  holiday  was  de- 
voted to  the  puzzle.  I  sat  at  the  window  of  my 
room  in  a  fine  light  with  the  card  in  my  hand,  my 
eyes  bent  upon  those  mystical  outlines,  scanning 
them  in  a  listless  manner,  for  my  confidence  in  my 
power  to  translate  them  into  intelligent  language 
was  beginning  to  weaken,  when  I  detected  a  faint 
sign  or  character  in  one  corner  of  the  card  which 
the  better  light  than  usual  brought  out.  I  now  ex- 
amined the  other  corners  and  found  that  in  each  of 

40 


them  was  also  a  delicately  traced  outline.  Seizing 
a  magnifying  glass  I  made  out  clearly  four  charac- 
ters corresponding  with  four  I  had  isolated  on  my 
list.  Trembling  with  excitement  I  asked,  half 
aloud:  "May  these  not  be  the  key  to  the  puzzle? 
Are  they  not  representative  of  the  alphabet  I  am 
searching  for  ?"  One  of  these  characters  was  similar 
to  that  of  which  I  counted  the  eighteen  repetitions, 
and  another  similar  to  one  of  the  sixteen  repetitions. 
Ah,  one  of  these  must  be  a  and  the  other  e;  then,  to 
my  delight,  I  discovered  that  two  of  the  key  out- 
lines corresponded  to  two  of  the  three  characters 
that  stood  alone  in  the  stranger's  notes.  I  now  felt 
a  thrill  of  encouragement  to  persist.  The  memo- 
randum was  not  written  with  an  ordinary  lead  pencil, 
but  with  some  kind  of  a  metallic  point  that  permitted 
very  delicate  tracing  on  such  paper  as  had  been  used. 
Employing  the  magnifier,  I  examined  the  outlines 
throughout  closely  and  found  little  marks  like  half 
circles  under  certain  parts  of  many  word  outlines, 
and  these  I  compared  with  the  key  marks  in  the  cor- 
ners, until  I  was  sure  that  one  of  the  oft  repeated 
words  was  and,  while  another  probably  read  acts. 
I  now  experienced  a  buoyancy  of  heart  that 
augured  well  for  success,  and  I  continued  the  study 
of  the  cipher  text  with  new  vigor.  With  half  a 
dozen  symbols  for  as  many  letters  of  the  alphabet 
which  appeared  to  meet  every  test,  I  thenceforth 
made  substantial  progress  in  translating  the  Oude- 
mon  message,  good  guesses  or  a  favoring  Provi- 

41 


dence  aiding  so  happily  that  when  the  dinner  bell 
rang  I  had  solved  the  meaning  of  more  than  half 
the  word  outlines;  and  believed  that  my  work  was 
nearly  accomplished.  After  dinner,  a  meal  that 
engaged  little  of  my  usual  zest,  I  hurried  back  to 
my  room  and  resumed  the  labor  of  translating  the 
message.  Fortunately  no  interruption  occurred 
that  night  to  break  the  current  of  endeavor,  and  by 
midnight  I  had  fairly  completed  my  task;  at  least, 
the  total  result  had  so  rational  an  expression,  that 
I  sought  my  bed  with  as  much  satisfaction  as  an  in- 
ventor might  be  supposed  to  feel  who  believes  that 
he  has  finished  the  design  of  an  invention  long 
worked  upon.  This  is  my  rendering  of  the  strange 
visitor's  message : 

From  C  west — the  cataracts  before  you,  at  bending  of  great 
river,  southward  follow. 

Beware,  the  mountains,  left — 

Till  rivers  three,  and  T — depart  by       ||       east  till  sun  decide. 


X 


Tarry  alone  and  upward  look; 
Guard  well — fear  not. 

A    CONSULTATION. 

In  this,  as  I  firmly  believed,  I  had  a  few  hints  for 
my  guidance  to  that  isolated  country.  Making  a 
copy  in  the  shorthand  with  which  I  was  familiar, 
I  deposited  the  original  memorandum  in  my  little 
safe  and  for  days  thereafter  reflected  upon  a  plan  of 

42 


action.  To  Olive  I  announced  the  possibility  of  a 
voyage  to  South  America.  A  little  before  this  Don 
Pedro  had  communicated  ofificially  with  our  Govern- 
ment in  reference  to  certain  plans  for  colony  enter- 
prise in  Brazil,  and  public  attention  had  been  di- 
rected to  the  enormous  country  over  which  he  was 
the  liberal  and  kind  ruler.  Glowing  accounts  had 
filled  many  newspaper  columns  regarding  the  possi- 
bilities of  development  there  in  every  line  of  in- 
dustry and  trade,  and  many  Americans  were  heard 
declaring  that  they  would  prefer  the  chances  of  suc- 
cess offered  by  so  new  a  country  to  further  effort 
at  home,  where  sharp  competition  in  all  lines  of  ac- 
tivity discouraged  men  of  average  capacity  and 
means.  For  myself  I  considered  the  United  States 
large  enough  as  a  field  of  action  for  all  honest  men, 
whatever  the  difference  in  capacity,  and  that  it  was 
therefore  big  enough  for  me,  but  a  trip  to  Brazil  to 
make  a  tour  of  the  country  for  the  purpose  of  seeing 
what  it  was  like  would  be  only  another  of  my  occa- 
sional escapades  from  business  routine. 

"Why,  there  isn't  much  to  be  seen  in  Brazil  but 
Indians,  half-breeds,  some  Portuguese,  vast  forests, 
rubber  camps,  great  rivers  and  swamps  and  a  few 
coast  cities  of  importance,"  remarked  Olive,  fixing 
her  large  eyes  gravely  on  my  face.  "It  would  be 
pleasant,  no  doubt,  for  a  water  fowl  like  you  to  sail 
along  that  great  extent  of  coast,  but  you  would  soon 
tire  of  the  wildness  of  the  country,  Malcolm  Browne, 
and  of  its  many  inconveniences  of  travel,  if  you 

43 


attempted  to  leave  the  more  civilized  coast  and  go 
into  the  interior.  Why,  from  my  reading  of  those 
who  have  ventured  much  into  that  country,  it  must 
be  a  good  deal  like  Africa,  so  far  as  our  knowledge 
of  it  is  concerned.  There  are  immense  stretches  of 
plain  and  mountain  ranges  of  which  little  com- 
paratively is  known.  Then,  too,  I  have  read,"  the 
girl  continued,  in  a  tone  of  dread,  "that  there  are 
wild  people  in  some  of  the  deeper  parts  who  are  real 
cannibals.     Oh,  you  won't  venture  there?" 

"No,  believe  me,  my  solicitous  maid,  I  shall 
not  expose  my  precious  carcass  unnecessarily  to  such 
hungry  anthropophagists — I  believe  that's  what  your 
scientific  gentlemen  delicately  term  them,"  I  re- 
turned, with  a  laugh. 

"Well,  we  don't  realize  what  a  land  that  is  be- 
neath the  sun,  Malcolm.  Think  of  it,  a  tremendous 
country  nearly  as  big  as  all  Europe.  Have  you  ever 
heard  of  anybody  traveling  entirely  through  it  from 
east  to  west,  say  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  or  Pernambuco 
to  Bolivia?" 

"No,  I  must  admit,  Olive,  that  I  do  not  remember 
any  instance  of  such  adventurous  temerity.  I  have 
read  of  the  Amazon  country  to  some  extent ;  of  its 
wondrous  vegetation,  its  peculiar  races,  its  rubber 
seekers ;  yet  that  part  of  Brazil  has  been  far  from  ex- 
plored, and  probably  less  is  positively  known  of  the 
great  southern  and  western  districts  where,  we  are 
told,  are  wide  expanses  of  high  tableland  and  bor- 
dering mountain  peaks,  with  an  abundant  variety  of 

44 


water  scenery — wherein,  as  a  water  fowl,  I  should 
be  quite  at  home,  you  know." 

"How  long  would  you  be  gone  ?"  the  girl  quietly 
asked,  apparently  without  notice  of  my  response  to 
her  playful  hit  at  my  known  penchant  for  water 
travel. 

*'I  can  scarcely  say,  for  I  think  that  there  will  be 
so  much  of  novelty  in  a  tour  of  this  kind  that  I  shall 
not  feel  disposed  to  hurry." 

"I  wonder,  Malcolm,  if  this  strange  man  you 
have  told  me  about  is  not  the  real  cause  of  your  new 
fancy.  You  intimated  that  he  was  from  South 
America  somewhere.  I  hope,  my  dear  boy,  you 
don't  entertain  some  sudden " 

"Don't  worry  on  my  account,  little  girl.  I  shall 
not  risk  much  aside  from  my  precious  carcass." 

"Oh,  I  know  that  you  set  much  store  by  that — 
w^ell,  no  doubt  it  is  pleasant  to  see  things  that  are 
not  commonly  known.  You  don't  find  many  guide 
books  to  Brazil  or  the  Argentines  on  the  market,  I 
guess." 

"No,  I  can  obtain  only  the  most  general  informa- 
tion about  the  parts  I  have  in  view." 

"But  this  going  always  alone,  Malcolm;  haven't 
you  had  enough  of  it?" 

"Seriously,  Olive,  I  will  say  yes.  You  know 
what  I  told  you  of  certain  inconvenient  experiences 
when  on  my  last  trip  abroad — what  happened  in  the 
Nile  country,  quite  alone  among  the  fellaheen. 
Then  I  vowed  it  would  be  the  last  time  I  should  go 

45 


any  great  distance  and  among  strange  people  with- 
out company  of  some  sort.  When  a  chap  gets  sick 
and  hasn't  a  friend  within  two  thousand  miles  he  is 
apt  to  feel  blue." 

"But  Malcolm  has  a  way  of  recovering  his  true 
color,  it  seems,  and  forgetting  vows,  and  then  your 
mother " 

"Yes,  mother  is  tired  of  my  vagabondizing  and 
wants  me  settled  in  life.  I  suspect  she's  right.  But 
when  a  man's  seen  thirty-six  summers " 

"Or  winters,"  interpolated  Olive,  smiling. 

"Yes,  you're  right  about  the  winters;  the  thirty- 
sixth  summer  isn't  quite  gone  yet — it's  full  time 
that  he  was  cultivating  his  own  fireside.  When  I 
get  back  I  am  going  to  take  the  matter  into  serious 
consideration — I  am,  now." 

"Did  you  never  think  seriously  about  it?"  asked 
the  girl  in  a  tone  that  led  me  to  gaze  fixedly  at  her 
for  a  moment  or  two.  She  sat,  with  her  eyes 
averted,  as  if  studying  a  Japanese  screen  that  was 
spread  in  all  its  brilliant  hues  on  the  hearthstone. 
I  had  given  her  that  screen  for  her  last  birthday. 

"Yes,  Olive,  there  have  been  lucid  intervals 
when  some  reflections  have  occupied  my  mind  with 
respect  to  my  lonesome  bachelorhood.  But  the  fact 
that,  odd  old  fossil  as  I  may  be,  there  are  some  ex- 
cellent people  to  whom  I  can  go  when  I  please  and 
find  comfort " 

"But  changes  come — friends  depart,  and  there 

46 


are  the  transitory  and  hollow  conditions  of  board- 
ing-house life — and " 

"Permit  me  to  carry  on  the  thought,  my  solici- 
tous mentor.  There  are  the  friends  who  tolerate 
you  for  what  use  you  may  be  to  them,  and  in  spite 
of  your  good  qualities  consider  you  a  crank  because 
you  don't  marry,  and  be  contented  as  a  reasonable 
man  should " 

"Oh,  I  didn't  mean  that,"  she  broke  in ;  "you  are 
very  good.  I  don't  see  anything  of  the  crank  in 
you " 

It  seemed  to  me  that  there  was  the  suspicion  of 
a  tear  in  her  eye,  and  I  must  own  that  my  own  feel- 
ings were  strongly  aroused  by  the  marked  serious- 
ness of  her  manner.  However,  I  affected  a  degree 
of  gayety  and  said. 

"Who  knows  that  I  may  not  meet  some  dark-eyed 
senorita  down  beneath  the  equator  who  will  make 
captive  my  vagabond  heart — what  an  unexpected 
home-bringing  that  would  be!" 

"And  so  romantic !"  added  Olive.  "But  you  are 
long  past  twenty,  and  have  seen  many  dark-eyed 
and  light-eyed  senoritas.  They  say,  though,  those 
semi-Spanish  maidens  in  South  America  are  very 
fascinating.  Yet  you  are  not  going  to  give  your 
faith,  I  know,  to  even  a  mighty  hidalgo's  daughter 
without  due  reflection." 

I  rose  to  go  and  said,  in  parting,  with  her  hand 
in  mine :  "You  know,  Olive,  that  I  esteem  your  opin- 
ion and  good  sense  too  highly  to  think  of  taking  any 

47 


serious  step  without  having  your  views  upon  it. 
Good-night." 

She  laughed  in  a  way  that  intimated  her  pleasure 
and  looked  up  at  me,  the  rich  blood  tinging  cheek 
and  forehead.  "Good-night,  Malcolm;  the  little 
wisdom  I  may  have  is  always  at  your  service." 

With  this  parting  assurance  of  the  excellent 
young  woman  floating  in  my  sensorium,  I  walked 
down  the  avenue.  Yes,  I  was  well  on  toward  mid- 
dle life,  and  as  fully  equipped  mentally  and  physi- 
cally as  I  should  ever  be  for  marriage  and  a  settled 
life.  The  little  tcte-a-tete  just  ended  had  fairly  de- 
termined the  voyage  to  South  America,  and  a  search 
for  Oudemon.  Successful  or  not  in  finding  the 
object  of  the  trip,  I  should  not  lose  by  it;  for  many 
things  would  be  learned  of  the  nations  and  people 
below  the  Equator;  and  when  I  returned  I  should 
look  around  for  a  wife.  Somehow  as  I  thought 
upon  the  marriage  topic  a  feeling  of  calm  invested 
my  spirit.  Was  it  because  of  Olive?  Let  the 
reader  speculate  in  regard  to  that! 

,  A   VISION    OF    THE    NIGHT. 

"A  good  conscience  makes  a  soft  pillow,"  one 
of  the  characters  in  an  old  play  remarks.  Whether 
or  not  I  can  claim  a  conscience  more  free  of  burdens 
than  the  average  man,  it  is  certain  that  my  sleep 
comes  easily,  as  a  rule,  and  is  not  much  disturbed 
or    seasoned    by    conscious    dreaming.      Naturally 

48 


one  would  expect  his  visions  of  the  night  to  par- 
take of  the  nature  of  experiences  met  in  the  day. 
Abercrombie  and  later  psychologists  interpret  our 
dreams  according  to  impressions  received  for  the 
most  part  in  active  life.  Your  light  sleeper  is  the 
best  dreamer.  A  touch,  a  sound,  a  change  of  posi- 
tion in  bed,  may  start  a  dream,  harmonious  or 
grotesque,  according  to  the  mental  sensation  pro- 
duced. Often  the  strangeness  of  a  dream  is  due 
mainly  to  the  irregular  or  incomplete  fancies  that 
faculties  but  partly  awake  supply.  The  philosophy 
of  sleep  has  not  been  perfectly  formulated  yet,  nor 
has  its  physiology  been  quite  definitely  settled,  so 
that  there  is  considerable  latitude  for  indulging  our 
taste  in  speculations,  be  they  rational  or  colored  by 
notions  of  mystery  and  supernatural  ism. 

I  had  been  asleep  for  two  hours  that  night  of  the 
talk  with  Olive  when  I  awoke,  or  believed  myself 
to  be  awake.  Opening  my  eyes,  I  saw  in  the  dim 
sheen  that  filtered  through  the  well-drawn  shades 
from  the  street  lamp  the  form  of  Archbold  Restling. 
He  was  attired  in  a  costume  evidently  worn  for 
sleep — a  loose-fitting  robe  dropping  to  the  ankles 
and  a  cap  of  some  lustrous  stuff.  His  face  had  that 
peacefully  genial  expression  that  would  have  sufficed 
for  its  identification  in  any  circumstances.  No  time 
■was  given  me  to  feel  surprise  or  to  ask,  under  my 
breath,  what  he  was  doing  here,  for  it  seemed  that 
I  had  no  sooner  discovered  his  presence  than  I  heard 
his  voice :  "You  have  read  the  message.  I  am  pleased 

49 


that  you  have  decided  to  come  to  Oiidemon,  We 
shall  expect  you.  If  difficulties  occur  on  the  way 
do  not  hesitate  to  go  on.  Keep  close  to  the  river 
until  the  great  stone  mountains  appear  to  block  the 
way.  Remember,  then,  to  proceed  without  fear." 
As  he  finished  the  brief  sentence  he  pointed  toward 
the  corner  where  stood  my  secretary  and  disap- 
peared. Certainly  my  eyes  were  wide  open,  and 
noted  the  sudden  effacement,  but,  as  with  the  be- 
ginning of  the  vision,  I  felt  no  surprise,  and  merely 
turned  over  and  fell  asleep  again.  Was  this  only  a 
freak  of  the  imagination  consequent  upon  the  ear- 
nest and  almost  constant  thought  that  had  been  given 
to  the  stranger  during  the  past  four  weeks ;  or  was 
it  an  "impression"  transmitted  in  the  manner  of 
the  Oudemon  sages?  Never  had  I  considered  my- 
self capable  of  being  the  medium  or  object  of  psychic 
communication ;  indeed,  the  accounts  read  and  heard 
of  mental  impressions,  "telepathic"  and  otherwise 
designated,  obtained  but  scant  respect  from  me ;  and 
if  now  conviction  of  their  truth  was  to  be  demon- 
strated in  my  own  consciousness ! 

While  dressing  next  morning  my  thoughts  were 
absorbed  by  queries  of  this  kind,  and  no  relief  to 
the  uncertainty  was  found  in  any  explanation  that 
I  attempted  on  rational  principles — such  as  I  had 
previously  accepted.  A  glimpse  of  my  secretary  re- 
minded me  of  the  spook's  departing  gesture.  My 
pocket  notebook  lay  upon  the  writing  tablet.  I  was 
prompted  to  pick  it  up  and  open  it,  and  then  to  thumb 

50 


the  leaves  until  the  last  entry  of  the  day  before  was 
reached.  But  there  was  something  more,  an  addi- 
tion to  my  brief  memorandum  that  caused  a  tremor 
to  float  through  my  entire  body.  In  strongly  de- 
fined strokes,   almost  covering  the  page,  appeared 

this  cabalistic  design,    jT     and  under  it  the  single 

word  "Remember/'  boldly  written.  For  a  minute  or 
two  I  stood  there,  with  the  book  in  my  hand,  look- 
ing fixedly  at  the  figure  and  the  admonition.  Was  I 
bewitched,  "possessed"  or  what?  How  many  times 
in  the  course  of  that  day  did  I  take  out  the  notebook 
and  turn  to  the  leaf  whereon  the  figure  appeared  in 
all  its  sharp  outline,  for  doubt  regarding  the  nor- 
mality of  my  senses  kept  intruding  itself  upon  my 
thought.  Finally,  to  put  an  end  to  the  worry  I  was 
beginning  to  experience,  I  asked  a  clerk  in  the  office 
what  he  thought  of  the  appropriateness  of  a  design 
such  as  that  for  a  medal,  showing  him  the  figure  on 
the  leaf  of  my  notebook.  "Oh,  that's  too  simple," 
said  he.  "If  I  were  going  to  get  up  anything  I 
should  borrow  from  the  antique,  say  the  Alex- 
andrian." 

"Well,  tastes  differ,"  I  replied;  "the  simpler,  the 
better,  according  to  my  idea." 

So  it  was  to  be  concluded  that  I  had  been  the 
recipient  of  a  vivid  ocular  impression,  with  a  mate- 
rial demonstration  evident  enough  to  the  eyes  of 
others;  and  I  sought  to  make  peace  with  my  intel- 
lectual judgment  by  supposing  that  in  my  sleep  I 

51 


had  drawn  the  figure  and  written  the  word  of  coun- 
sel. But  what  manner  of  people  were  these  Oude- 
monites  that  they  could  communicate  at  will  with 
others  so  far  from  the  confines  of  their  own  land. 
Verily,  they  must  be  of  a  type  unusual,  and  worthy 
the  study  of  anthropologist  and  psychologist,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  economist,  and  he  who  seeks 
novelty  and  entertainment. 


52 


CHAPTER  III. 

ON    THE   JOURNEY. 

Two  weeks  later  I  sailed  for  the  Southern  Hemi- 
sphere, by  one  of  the  Pacific  mail  steamers.  Let 
me  pass  over  the  incidents  of  the  voyage  to  Panama, 
the  crossing  of  that  narrow  band  of  rock  and  earth 
separating  two  great  oceans,  and  the  trip  down  to 
Callao,  the  C  of  Restling's  message,  it  may  be  as- 
sumed, fully  spelled  out.  A  few  days  were  spent  in 
that  Peruvian  seaport,  to  complete  what  preparations 
were  necessary  for  my  expedition  into  the  interior. 
Believing  myself  now  fairly  entered  upon  a  course, 
the  denouement  of  which  was  not  far  off,  and  likely 
to  be  replete  with  extraordinary  incidents,  my  feel- 
ings were  in  that  state  of  tense  excitement  that  per- 
mits of  little  attention  to  things  not  connected  with 
the  purpose  in  view.  If  Oudemon  were  a  real  place 
I  must  see  it  ere  many  days.  If  I  had  been  lured  all 
the  way  to  this  sub-equatorial  sky  by  an  evil  genius, 
or  to  be  made  the  dupe  of  a  heinous  joke,  I  was 
equally  anxious  to  know  it.  Yet  in  the  midst  of 
this  intense  and  anxious  consciousness  a  singular 
calm  possessed  my  soul,  an  unusual  confidence  that 
I  had  not  traveled  so  far  in  vain. 

Taking   the   railway    I    rode    to    its    east- 

53 


ern  terminus,  at  a  straggling  mining  settlement 
in  the  Andes.  Securing  there  a  horse  and  a 
mounted  native  for  companion  and  guide,  I  con- 
tinued the  eastward  course.  Possibly  the  reader 
would  be  entertained  by  a  description  of  the  widely 
diversified  country  through  which  we  penetrated, 
were  there  space  for  it.  Now  rough  and  precipi- 
tous mountain  trails,  then  broad  valleys,  luxuriant 
with  semi-tropical  growth;  again  long  reaches  of 
plain,  almost  desert  in  their  lack  of  plant  and  animal 
life.  Some  days  the  route  was  so  encompassed 
with  difficulties  that  night  found  us  worn  with 
fatigue,  horse  and  man,  and  but  a  few  miles  added 
to  the  march.  Fortunately  my  guide  was  in- 
formed regarding  the  country  for  a  considerable 
distance  along  the  Bolivian  and  Brazilian  border.* 
To  my  inquiries  he  gave  answers  that  satisfied  me 
that  the  falls  mentioned  in  Restling's  plan  of  the 
course  were  those  of  the  Madeira,  and  the  G  re- 
ferred to  w'as  most  likely  the  Guapore.  It  was 
clear  enough  that  I  need  not  go  up  to  the  falls,  so  I 
requested  my  guide  to  use  his  best  judgment  in 
pursuing  our  way,  that  we  might  reach  the  Guapore 
Valley  as  soon  as  possible.  As  Callao  is  situated 
longitudinally,  the  point  toward  which  my  steps  were 
directed  was,  according  to  the  data  I  had  for  cal- 
culation, not  far  from  eleven  hundred  miles,  and  it 
seemed  best  to  trust  to  my  companion's  discretion  to 
pick  out  the  way  over  the  ranges  as  obliquely  as 
*  A  region  far  from  explored  as  yet. 

54 


might  be  consistent  with  the  difficulties  of  the  march. 
Having  provided  myself  with  a  pocket  compass,  and 
a  small  quadrant,  the  use  of  which  I  had  learned 
from  a  naval  officer,  I  took  daily  observations,  and 
so  kept  close  account  of  our  progress.  When  fairly 
in  Bolivia  our  way  became  comparatively  easy,  and 
there  were  days  that  found  us  at  twilight  a  good 
fifty  miles  from  the  point  of  departure  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

We  had  been  out  from  Callao  twenty-two  days 
when  a  great  stretch  of  low  meadow  and  swampy 
land  was  reached.  "I  believe,  sefior,  we  be  in  the 
Guapore,"  said  my  guide.  In  the  distance  a  thin, 
cloudy  line  announced  a  mountain  range. 

"What  hills  are  those?"  I  asked. 

"Me  know  not ;  no  cross  big  river  here  anyway," 
he  said.  In  reply  to  guarded  questions  with  refer- 
ence to  the  country  beyond  the  visible  range,  the 
man  appeared  to  have  no  definite  knowledge.  Be- 
sides vague  ideas  of  settlements  here  and  there  of 
people  who  mined  or  kept  stock  or  cultivated  the 
soil  for  certain  products,  he  knew  little  of  the  coun- 
try south  or  east  of  where  we  now  were,  insisting 
that  for  many  hundred  miles  the  region  was  so 
marshy  and  rough  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
travel  eastward  to  any  considerable  distance,  and 
what  few  people  lived  "over  riber"  were  Indians  or 
half-breeds  who  were  not  to  be  trusted.  He  inti- 
mated, in  fact,  that  if  it  were  my  intention  to  go 
much  farther  south  he  should  ask  to  be  released,  as 

55 


he  had  already  accompanied  me  a  greater  distance 
than  he  expected,  and  had  decided  to  go  to  Trinidad 
on  his  way  back. 

We  had  covered  seventy  miles  more,  perhaps, 
when  we  stopped  at  a  small  plantation  or  hacienda 
of  half  a  dozen  houses  for  the  night.  The  head  man 
of  the  place,  Senor  Miquel,  invited  me  to  stop  a 
while  with  him.  He  had  a  sheep  ranch,  and  culti- 
vated tobacco,  which  employed  most  of  the  little 
colony.  Strangers  were  rare  in  IMiquel's  camp,  and 
a  North  American  was  so  unusually  seen  in  that 
quarter  of  the  world  that  the  ranchers  welcomed  me 
rather  fervidly,  I  thought.  He  knew  a  little  Eng- 
lish and  I  had  picked  up  some  Spanish  on  the  way, 
so  that  we  could  talk  together  in  a  fashion,  and  I 
soon  learned  that  he  was  a  West  Indian  by  birth, 
but,  having  been  expatriated  on  account  of  political 
opinions,  had  gone  to  that  remote  region  with  a  few 
family  dependents,  and  built  up  the  little  colony. 
The  second  morning  after  our  arrival  at  this  point 
my  guide  took  his  leave,  advising,  as  he  departed, 
that  it  would  be  well  for  me  to  be  on  my  guard,  for 
it  was  not  good  to  be  too  free  with  any  of  "dose 
peeble." 

Yielding  to  Miquel's  urgent  and  really  hearty 
kindliness,  I  remained  in  his  rough  house  three 
days.  During  this  time  every  opportunity  was 
sought  to  obtain  information  that  had  any  bearing 
upon  my  journey's  object.  Very  little  of  satisfy- 
ing nature  was  to  be  had ;  and  that  concerned  only 

56 


the  character  of  the  country  a  hundred  miles  or  so 
south  of  the  ranch.  If  I  intended  to  go  east  it  was 
impossible  because  a  few  miles  beyond  the  river  the 
trail  came  to  an  end ;  and  the  country  was  wild  and 
the  very  few  people  to  be  met  were  Indians  and 
hunters,  or  bandits,  for  the  most  part.  I  told  Mi- 
quel  that  I  was  desirous  of  prospecting  in  that  re- 
gion, and  should  not  go  farther  south,  it  was  likely, 
than  sixty  or  seventy  miles,  and  might  be  glad  to  re- 
turn to  his  settlement  after  a  few  days.  He  offered 
to  accompany  me  beyond  the  river,  and  placed  at 
my  service  a  young  horse,  taking  mine  in  exchange. 
As  his  proffer  of  companionship  was  evidently  well 
meant,  I  accepted  it  promptly. 

THE    CABALISTIC    GUIDE. 

While  arranging  my  pack  for  the  start  in  the 
little  room  that  had  been  allotted  me  by  the 
ranchero  I  glanced  casually  through  one  of  the 
small,  paneless  windows,  when  my  attention  was 
at  once  riveted  to  a  man  who  stood  perhaps 
thirty  feet  from  the  house,  leaning  against  a  tree. 
The  dress  and  stature  of  the  man  were  similar, 
it  seemed  at  first,  to  those  of  Restling.  As  I 
gazed  at  him  he  slowly  stood  erect,  and  on  the 
lapel  of  his  coat  there  glittered  in  the  early  sun- 
light a  metallic  fac-simile  of  the  figure  drawn  in 
my  notebook  that  night  of  the  dream  or  vision. 
Yielding   to   impulse,    I   dashed   out   of   the   room 

S7 


and  through  the  two  others  to  the  main  door- 
way of  the  house,  which  opened  on  the  side  toward 
the  tree.  But  no  sooner  out  of  the  building  than  I 
saw  that  the  man  was  gone,  and  a  hasty  search  of 
the  neighborhood  failed  to  reveal  him.  Meeting 
my  host,  he  asked:  "What  was  come?  You  look 
much  sorry."  I  explained  as  best  I  could  that  I 
had  seen  a  mysterious  stranger  a  few  minutes  be- 
fore, and  could  not  find  him ;  then  described  his  ap- 
pearance. "Oh,  him,"  he  said.  "I  see — two,  tree 
times.  He  mus'  live  up  dere,"  pointing  southward. 
"He  mine,  me  t'ink."  Whether  the  senor  under- 
stood what  I  had  told  him,  or  not,  this  incident  both 
puzzled  and  encouraged  me.  If  only  another  hallu- 
cination, assuming  that  the  vision  of  the  night  at 
home  was  of  that  nature,  it  was  to  be  taken  as  a 
good  omen. 

Miquel  rode  with  me  a  good  forty  miles,  and  we 
spent  the  night  together  in  a  wreck  of  a  cabin  found 
in  a  clump  of  brush  on  the  river  bank — some  herd- 
er's work,  probably.  It  afforded  protection  against 
the  heavy  dew  and  possibly  served  as  a  defence 
against  attack  by  some  hungry  beast.  Three  or 
four  miles  farther  we  came  to  a  point  where  the 
stream  widened  and  its  bed  was  very  shallow,  little 
islets  appearing  above  its  rippling  surface  here  and 
there.  A  crossing  was  effected  successfully ;  only  in 
mid-channel  was  it  necessary  for  our  horses  to 
swim,  and  that  for  a  short  distance.  Having  seen 
me  safely  on  the  east  bank,  the  seiior  now  bade  me 

58 


adieu  and  recrossed.  The  point  was  well  chosen, 
for  the  ground  here  proved  excellent  for  travel,  a 
narrow  plateau  stretching  southward  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach.  To  the  east  at  a  distance,  as  I  es- 
timated, of  fifteen  miles,  the  mountains  reared  their 
broken  and  uninviting  summits,  and  as  I  proceeded 
their  giant  masses  appeared  to  become  more  pre- 
cipitous and  forbidding.  A  warm,  hazy  day,  the 
few  trees  or  clumps  of  brush  that  were  met  with  were 
welcomed  for  the  temporary  shade  they  afforded. 
Twelve  miles  or  so  from  the  crossing  point  I  en- 
countered a  large  patch  of  brush  and  scrub  oak,  and 
made  my  way  through  it  leisurely  enough,  because 
of  the  thick  undergrowth.  On  emerging  what 
should  I  see,  directly  in  my  course  and  not  fifty  feet 
distant,  but  the  same  man  I  had  noticed  at  the  ranch 
the  previous  morning.  The  badge  was  glittering  in 
the  sunlight,  as  then.  This  time,  however,  there  was 
no  disappearance,  but  an  approach  on  his  part,  as  I 
rode  toward  him. 

"Are  you? "  escaped  my  lips  almost  involun- 
tarily. 

"Yes,"  he  replied  smilingly,  extending  his  hand. 
I  sprang  from  my  pony  and  grasped  it. 

"It  was  you  I  saw  yesterday?" 

"Yes,  Malcolm,  we  knew  of  your  coming  from 
the  time  you  left  Callao." 

"Indeed,  and  how  could  you  know  that?"  I  ex- 
claimed. 

"Their  impressions  satisfied  our  councillors  and  I 
59 


came  down  to  meet  you.  The  conditions  were  well 
fulfilled.  We  have  but  eleven  miles  now  to  go,  Mal- 
colm, and  then  we  ascend  into  Oudemon." 

"But  I  am  told  by  everybody  that  I  cannot  get 
across  those  cliffs  to  the  east,  my  dear  sir." 

"In  the  way  these  people  cross  hills,  no.  Our  way 
is  different.    The  sun  is  high;  have  you  eaten?" 

"Not  since  breakfast  with  Sefior  Miquel." 

"Then  it  will  be  well  to  stop  here  and  have  a 
meal,  for  our  course  now  lies  that  way,"  pointing  to 
the  mountains,  "as  you  expect,  and  the  footing  is 
not  easy.  But  the  Sefior  gave  you  a  good  little 
horse,  I  see,  Malcolm." 

This  messenger  was  provided  with  many  things 
that  a  traveler  would  not  expect  to  find  in  that  lonely 
region.  Where  he  had  stored  them  I  knew  not.  It 
seemed  like  the  magic  of  Hermann  when  he  pro- 
duced some  delicious  oranges,  and  bananas,  most 
appetizing  biscuits,  a  bottle,  or  rather  conical  box, 
filled  with  cocoa  juice  so  cool  that  one  would  think 
it  had  come  from  the  ice.  The  coarse,  hard  biscuit, 
cheese  and  lime  juice  that  I  had  brought  in  my  pack 
were  wretchedly  poor  fare  in  comparison.  My  new 
guide  distributed  his  excellent  menu,  and  we  ate, 
talking  meanwhile  of  my  experiences. 

A  DIFFICULT  COURSE. 

The  sun  had  declined  twenty  degrees  from  the 
zenith  ere  we  rose  from  a  prandial  exercise  that  had 

60 


been  the  most  agreeable  and  satisfying  to  my  appe- 
tite since  leaving  the  coast,  and  began  the  final 
course  in  my  long  journey.  Passing  up  out  of  the 
river  plain  a  few  miles,  we  found  ourselves  in  a 
much  rougher  section.  There  was  no  road  or  path, 
no  trail  marks  were  visible,  at  least  to  my  eyes,  and 
with  our  upward  advance  the  surface  became  more 
broken  and  difficult,  until  it  was  evident  that  we 
were  ascending  a  series  of  terrace-like  elevations,  on 
which  a  scraggy  growth  of  tree  and  bush,  inter- 
spersed with  rock,  gravel,  fissures,  mounds,  and  an 
occasional  very  erratic  water  course  in  a  deep-cut 
channel,  offered  obstacles  that  w'ould  have  intimi- 
dated even  a  Stanley  with  so  small  an  escort  in  a 
country  entirely  unknown.  Had  I  not  been  "per- 
sonally conducted,"  under  auspices  of  so  peculiar  a 
nature  that  my  utmost  confidence  was  challenged,  I 
should  never  have  taken  that  direction,  since  it  was 
leading  me  nowhere,  if  not  directly  to  those  impos- 
sible cliffs  that  seemed  at  every  step  to  rear  their 
gray  summits  to  loftier  heights.  At  times  our  way 
became  so  precipitous  and  dangerous  that  only  the 
intelligence,  skill  and  strength  of  my  conductor  ren- 
dered it  possible  for  us  to  proceed.  Now  and  then 
our  united  force  was  necessary  to  enable  my  pony, 
true  blood  mountaineer  as  she  proved  herself,  to 
get  up  to  our  level.  I  had  been  in  the  Swiss  Alps 
and  knew  the  skill  of  the  guides  there,  but  had  never 
seen  courage  and  adroitness  displayed  to  the  degree 
that  this  Oudemonite  showed.     Three  times  I  pro- 

6i 


tested  against  trying  to  bring  up  the  horse,  insist- 
ing that  it  was  unnecessary,  if  not  impossible,  to 
accomplish  it.  But  he  mildly  said :  "It  would  not 
be  kind,  Malcolm,  to  leave  the  poor  pony  there;  he 
would  starve  or  perhaps  break  his  neck."  So  the 
impossible  was  done  in  a  way  that  kept  me  wonder- 
ing at  his  ingenuity  and  strength. 

Finally  we  reached  a  plateau  of  comparatively 
smooth  surface  and  some  acres  in  extent.  Judging 
by  the  sun,  we  had  consumed  three  hours  in  our  la- 
borious march  upward,  and  now  some  patches  of  soft 
grass  and  a  group  of  low  trees  suggested  rest.  I 
was  fatigued  enough  and  threw  myself  down  upon 
the  ground,  while  our  jaded  animal  companion  be- 
took himself  to  a  little  stream  and  lapped  the  tepid 
water  with  evident  satisfaction. 

"We  will  stay  here  for  a  while,"  said  my  guide. 

"Yes,"  was  my  thankful  rejoinder.  "I  am  thor- 
oughly tired.  This  is  the  hardest  road  I  ever 
struck." 

"We  have  not  much  farther  to  go,"  he  replied, 
with  a  low  laugh.  "You  are  expected  to  supper  with 
Archbold  and  other  friends,  Malcolm,  and  after 
some  rest  we  will  ascend." 

"What,  we  are  near  the  journey's  end?" 

He  smiled,  and  laughed  again.  Westward  there 
was  spread  out  a  glorious  prospect,  the  declining  sun 
lighting  up  the  diversity  of  detail  with  an  enchant- 
ing distinctness.  Far  below,  the  river  I  had  crossed 
in  the  morning  wound  in  and  out,  a  silver  ribbon 

62 


amid  the  emerald  and  brown  of  the  valley.  Not  a 
village  or  settlement  of  any  kind  was  visible  to  the 
unassisted  eye — only  a  few  straggling  groups  of 
horses  or  cattle,  as  made  out  with  the  small  field 
glass  I  carried  in  my  pocket.  What  possibilities  of 
industry  to  the  hardy  pioneer  who  yearned  for  the 
quiet  and  isolation  of  a  virgin  wilderness  were  sug- 
gested by  that  vast  expanse  of  unbroken  soil !  On 
the  reverse,  eastward,  what?  I  had  not  yet  realized 
it.  Now  I  saw  only  a  precipitous  w'all,  stretching  to 
north  and  south,  and  inclosing  us  in  an  upright  con- 
cavity. A  sensation  of  awe  crept  through  my  frame. 
Certainly  everything  conspired  to  produce  a  most 
profound  impression  upon  an  average  man.  At 
length  I  looked  at  my  companion;  he  was  standing 
at  a  little  distance  gazing  upward,  as  if  expecting  a 
signal  from  the  cliff  top.  After  a  moment  or  tw'O  I 
said: 

"Well,  my  friend,  this  is  a  strange  and  wonderful 
place.  I  have  come  many  miles  expecting  strange 
things  and  at  present  am  realizing  in  a  very  unusual 
fashion  that  the  world  is  far  from  known  to  me. 
You  have  brought  me  to  the  most  remarkable  place 
that  I  have  ever  seen ;  and  many  of  the  world's  most 
famous  landscapes  have  received  my  attention ;  yet — - 
is  this  but  preparatory?" 

He  replied,  intermitting  his  upward  look  for  a^ 
moment  only:  "You  will  see  and  hear  things  not 
common  in  your  country,  stranger  friend.  You  may 
not  think  us  remarkable  for  business  and  enterprise, 

63 


as  such  things  are  accounted  among  your  people,  and 
many  objects  you  are  fond  of  we  do  not  highly  es- 
teem. Our  habits  as  friends  and  in  the  family  may 
be  different  from  what  you  call  proper.  Let  me 
ask  you  now  to  be  kind  in  your  judgment  of  what 
you  may  see,  and  let  your  opinion  take  form  from 
the  general  effect  of  our  customs  upon  the  commu- 
nity." 

"Be  sure,"  was  returned  warmly,  "I  shall  try  to 
remember  that  I  am  your  guest  and  certainly  it 
would  be  a  breach  of  courtesy  did  I  not  endeavor  to 
adapt  myself  to  your  practices  and  manners,  espe- 
cially when  the  samples  of  the  Oudemon  folk  with 
whom  I  have  consorted  so  far,  compel  my  respect 
and  admiration." 

He  smiled  in  a  pleased  way  and  said :  "We  can- 
not ask  more  from  you,  Malcolm,  and  shall  not." 

AN    ELEVATING    COSTUME. 

'A  soft  rustle  as  of  wings  here  caused  me  to  look 
up,  and  I  saw  two  large  birds  of  the  crow  species 
descending,  apparently  from  the  cliffs.  In  a  few 
seconds  they  had  alighted  at  the  feet  of  my  guide. 
Attached  to  each  was  a  light  package  or  roll  of  fine 
silky-looking  cloth.  This  he  untied,  when  the  birds 
flew  away,  but  not  in  the  direction  whence  they  had 
come. 

"We  have  now  the  means  for  our  ascent,"  re- 
marked my  companion  as  he  unrolled  the  fabric  and 

64 


displayed  a  broad,  baggy-looking  contrivance,  nar- 
rowed or  pleated  in  the  center  with  bits  of  ribbon  or 
tape  set  at  points  along  one  margin.  "We  will  put 
on  these."  There  w^ere  openings,  into  which,  with 
his  assistance,  I  inserted  my  arms;  then  he  tied  the 
apparatus  to  my  neck  and  body  by  means  of  the 
tapes,  the  elasticity  of  the  tissue  rendering  the  con- 
tact close.  Without  help  from  me,  Julius,  as  I 
learned  shortly  afterward  was  his  name,  fitted  him- 
self with  the  apparatus  while  I  looked  on  curiously. 

"Now  we  will  go  to  the  source  and  inflate." 

I  followed  him  to  a  little,  cave-like  excavation  in 
the  rocky  wall  just  large  enough  to  screen  three  or 
four  persons  from  sight.  From  a  projection  in  the 
roof  he  took  down  a  metal  tube  of  small  diameter 
and  about  four  feet  in  length.  "I  will  treat  myself 
to  some  gas,"  he  playfully  remarked,  "and  then  you 
can  take  your  turn." 

"We  are  going  to  emulate  the  angels !"  I  rejoined. 

"In  a  sort  of  human  fashion,"  said  he. 

"Am  I  then  to  infer  that  you  excellent  people  have 
solved  the  problem  of  aerostation  ?" 

"In  part,  and  sufficiently  for  our  necessary  pur- 
poses. We  do  not  quite  fly,  but  we  can  rise  and 
move  to  any  point  it  is  desirable  to  reach;  and  this 
simple  arrangement  is  one  of  our  methods.  This 
fabric,  as  you  see,  is  very  light  and  fine,  yet  strong, 
elastic,  and  perfectly  gas  proof.  It  will  endure  a 
great  amount  of  rough  usage  before  breaking." 

At  one  side  of  the  cave  Julius  disclosed  a  bronze 
65 


pipe  projecting  a  few  inches  above  the  rock.  The 
tubing  taken  from  the  wall  was  inserted  into  the 
bronze  pipe  by  one  end  and  the  other  into  a  valvular 
opening  provided  in  the  singular  garment  we  had 
adjusted  to  our  bodies.  Pressure  upon  a  small  knob 
near  the  mouth  of  the  pipe  was  followed  by  a  hiss- 
ing sound,  and  in  a  short  time  Julius  had  swollen  to 
over  three  feet  broad  from  hip  to  shoulder,  the  lar- 
ger fulness  being  above.  His  appearance  to  eyes  un- 
accustomed to  the  spectacle  was  little  short  of  gro- 
tesque ;  I  could  not  repress  a  laugh. 

"Well,  Malcolm,  it  is  your  turn;  let  me  have  my 
fun  with  you,"  said  he,  disconnecting  the  tube  from 
his  bloated  figure. 

"No  doubt  I  shall  be  a  burlesque  of  you,  my  good 
boy.  But  tell  me  what  is  this  gas  you  obtain  from 
the  earth?" 

"It  is  a  natural  product  which  we  found  some 
years  ago  oozing  from  the  ground — mostly  hydro- 
gen with  by-products,  one  or  two  of  which  are  even 
lighter.  Our  wise  men  believe  that  if  human  beings 
are  to  fly,  without  some  great  change  in  their  physi- 
cal constitution,  they  must  use  some  fluid  that  will 
enable  them  to  float  in  the  air.  This  simple  mechan- 
ism we  find  to  be  quite  safe  for  the  common  purpose 
of  scaling  difficult  heights.  When  you  are  blown  up 
you  will  find  it  impossible  almost  to  fall." 

In  a  few  minutes  I  was  transformed  in  the  man- 
ner of  Julius,  and  on  attempting  to  walk  was 
amazed  by  the  lightness  of  my  limbs.   They  seemed 

66 


to  move  and  rise  in  simple  obedience  to  my  will; 
the  muscular  effort  was  so  slight  that  at  first  it  ap- 
peared quite  lacking.  Only  in  putting  the  feet  down 
upon  terra  iirma  was  there  a  decided  sensation  of 
effort.  I  rolled  or  skimmed  about,  rather  than 
walked. 

"I  believe  that  I  could  go  up  hill  much  easier  than 
down  in  this  toggery,"  I  said,  after  venturing  a  few 
steps. 

*'Yes,  but  after  a  little  practice  you  will  find  it 
very  easy  to  go  anywhere."  Saying  this  my  com- 
panion leaped  up  and  rose  fully  to  the  height  of 
thirty  feet,  then  descended  at  so  moderate  a  speed 
that  any  fears  I  had  entertained  on  the  score  of  fall- 
ing while  we  should  be  scaling  that  great  wall  were 
quite  dissipated. 

"You  have  given  me  great  confidence  in  my  power 
of  self-elevation,"  I  said,  laughing,  "but  don't  ask 
me  to  try  a  jump  yet,  for  I  might  land  somewhere 
off  there  by  the  river," 

A  peculiar  tone  sounded  in  the  air  like  a  soft  note 
of  the  bassoon.  "They  are  waiting,  and  have  low- 
ered the  cord.    Let  us  go  up." 

"But  my  horse !" 

"She  will  do  well  enough  here,  be  assured,  Mal- 
colm, and  I  will  attach  your  luggage  to  the  rope." 

Going  then  to  the  base  of  the  cliff,  we  found  the 
loose  end  of  a  thin  line  hanging  within  reach,  and 
at  a  signal  given  by  Julius  this  was  lowered  until 
it  touched  the  ground.     At  distances  of  four  feet  or 

^7 


so  there  were  loops  in  the  line,  a  convenience  de- 
cidedly gratifying  to  a  novice  like  myself  at  this 
kind  of  travel.  My  companion  grasped  the  cord  and 
sprang  up  several  feet. 

"A  little  confidence  and  you  will  get  on  well. 
Just  look  up  and  follow  close  to  me." 

Of  course  I  would  not  attempt  to  start  like  that,  so 
taking  hold  of  one  of  the  loops,  I  began  to  pull  on 
it.  I  say  began,  for  it  was  only  a  beginning  when  I 
found  myself  leaving  the  ground  with  a  sensation 
not  unlike  that  of  a  man  who  tries  the  "express"  ele- 
vator in  a  tall  building  for  the  first  time.  The  in- 
flated dress  nearly  compensated  my  weight  in  that 
clear  air,  and  it  seemed,  after  the  start,  that  I  had 
only  to  make  the  hand  over  hand  movements  of  the 
sailor  in  ascending  the  shrouds  to  go  up  as  rapidly 
as  I  pleased.  The  line,  however,  was  necessary  to 
me,  I  soon  realized,  for  so  buoyant  was  the  costume 
that  had  I  let  go  its  guidance  for  a  moment  the  light 
breeze  playing  near  the  wall  would  probably  have 
carried  me  to  some  distance  from  it. 

When  a  boy  I  had  been  not  a  little  given  to  gym- 
nastic  exercises,  and  the  training  had  served  me  to 
good  purpose  during  my  life.  Here  it  enabled  me 
to  climb  in  so  novel  a  fashion  with  much  less  awk- 
wardness than  would  have  been  inevitable  to  mus- 
cles that  had  received  no  training.  It  must  not  be 
supposed  that  my  conductor  neglected  me.  By  no 
means ;  now  and  then  he  floated  at  my  level  and  gave 
some  hints  regarding  the  use  of  hands  or  feet,  and 

68 


had  words  of  very  pleasant  approval  of  the  progress 
I  was  making.  At  times  a  strange  feeling  would 
invade  my  nerves,  a  giddiness  prompted,  it  is  likely, 
by  the  thought  of  being  participant  in  a  most 
extraordinary  excursion,  and  of  its  possible  conse- 
quences to  my  precious  skull  should  the  delicate- 
looking  tissue  that  contained  the  gas  spring  a  leak, 
but  the  higher  I  ascended  the  less  such  feeling 
affected  me,  and  in  its  place  came  a  sense  of  confi- 
dence in  my  guide  and  myself. 

"We  are  nearing  the  top,"  said  Julius.  "A  few 
hundred  feet  more  and  we  shall  be  on  the  verge  of 
our  country." 

And  soon  we  were  at  the  summit  of  the  awe-in- 
spiring ridge,  there  to  be  assisted,  on  my  part  at 
least,  by  the  welcoming  hands  and  cordial  greeting 
of  two  men  who  also  had  on  the  aerial  dress. 
A  moment's  inspection  showed  that  we  were  stand- 
ing on  a  narrow  platform  of  rock,  the  eastern  side  of 
which,  like  that  I  had  just  mounted.,  was  almost 
vertical  in  elevation,  but  not  to  the  depth  of  the  west- 
ern. The  sun  was  setting  now  in  the  far  horizon, 
yet  in  the  clear  twilight  sky  of  the  eastern  prospect  I 
could  see  many  houses  and  tower-like  structures 
whose  windows  reflected  the  orange  and  blue  tints, 
while  the  varied  green  of  meadow,  woodland  and 
garden  lent  its  coloring  to  heighten  the  picture  that, 
for  a  time,  fastened  my  gaze. 

There  were  no  buildings  towering  in  preposterous 
altitude  and  ugly  hugeness  against  the  sky — only 

69 


here  and  there  a  gHmpse  of  a  symmetrical  structure 
was  caught  that  rose  above  the  neighboring  trees 
and  offered  its  soft  brown  in  picturesque  contrast  to 
the  green  of  tree  and  meadow,  and  its  loftier  height 
as  a  pleasant  feature  in  the  wide  landscape. 

Turning  from  the  scene  of  beauty  I  remarked: 
"We  have  come  up  to  go  down,  friends?" 

"Yes,  Malcolm,  unless  you  would  prefer  to  pass 
the  night  up  here  and  commune  with  the  stars,"  re- 
plied one,  a  mirthful  twinkle  dancing  in  his  eye. 

"No  doubt  it  would  be  glorious,  but  I  would  pre- 
fer an  astronomical  study  a  little  later.  With  your 
permission  I  should  like  a  closer  acquaintance  with 
that  beautiful  landscape,"  pointing  downward. 
"Have  I  been  introduced  in  this  unique  fashion  to 
the  'Happy  Valley'  of  Rasselas?" 

"We  hope  that  you  will  not  be  disappointed  in 
what  you  find  here,  Malcolm." 

Thus  it  was  "Malcolm,"  "Malcolm,"  "Mal- 
colm." Had  my  name  become  so  familiar  among 
these  people  already? 

The  line  was  now  drawn  up  with  my  luggage  at- 
tached, not  an  easy  pull,  considering  the  height  of 
the  crest,  and  then  lowered  on  the  other  side.  There 
were  people  below  whose  voices  came  faintly  to  the 
ear,  and  who  signaled  when  the  burdened  line 
reached  down  to  them.  Then  we  descended,  a  depth 
of  eighteen  hundred  feet,  they  said — but  so  easy  and 
effortless  it  seemed  that  had  it  been  five  times  as 


great  I  should  have  enjoyed  the  motion  downward 
highly.  With  one  hand  loosely  encircling  the  cord 
I  gently  sank  until,  amid  the  happy  exclamations  of 
a  hundred  or  more  expectant  people,  I  found  my 
feet  upon  the  solid  ground  of  their  secluded  country. 


71 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AMID  THE  UNKNOWN. 

Mr.  Archbold  Restling,  or  simple  Archbold, 
as  I  should  call  him  in  the  Oudemon  mode,  was 
among  those  first  to  greet  me  at  the  foot  of  the  wall. 
A  warm  pressure  of  his  hand,  and  the  remark,  "Mal- 
colm, my  young  friend,  we  are  not  disappointed  in 
you,"  prepared  my  general  introduction  to  the  com- 
pany of  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls,  who  sur- 
rounded him.  Then  saying :  "Our  associate  Jasper 
has  set  apart  a  room  for  your  use,"  the  said  Jasper, 
whose  surname  was  Bruce,  stepped  forward,  took 
my  hand  and  led  me,  followed  by  most  of  the  folk, 
to  a  low,  three-wheeled  carriage,  that  stood  at  a  lit- 
tle distance  from  the  cliff.  Bidding  me  step  in  and 
seat  myself,  he  entered  the  vehicle  and  placed  him- 
self by  my  side.  "A  happy  meeting  soon,  dear 
friends  all,"  he  said,  and  I  echoed  the  parting  salu- 
tation. A  touch  upon  some  lever  or  button,  and  our 
wagon  sped  away  in  an  easterly  direction  over  a 
roadbed  so  smooth  that  scarcely  a  jolt  Or  jerk  was 
perceptible.  Fairly  at  my  ease  now,  I  realized,  with 
almost  a  start,  that  there  was  no  horse  attached  to 
the  conveyance.  The  sun  down,  night  was  closing 
in  fast,  but  roadside  lamps  burst  into  flame  along  the 

72 


way,  lighting  up  the  road  with  as  clear  but  a  softer 
radiance  than  that  of  our  best  gas  lights  at  home. 
Jasper  and  I  exchanged  remarks  now  and  then,  but 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  hour  that  the  ride  contin- 
ued I  felt  little  disposition  to  converse;  my  mind 
was  too  busy  with  the  remarkable  series  of  ex- 
periences of  the  day ;  and  Bruce  recognizing  my  pre- 
occupation, delicately  accorded  it  free  course. 

An  excellent  supper  awaited  us.  I  was  hungry 
and  never  appreciated  a  meal  more  than  that  first  one 
in  the  country  that  I  had  sought  with  so  much  con- 
cern and  entered  with  such  peculiar  facilities.  The 
food  was  novel,  in  most  respects  vegetarian,  yet 
delightfully  satisfying.  I  could  not  forbear  asking 
questions  about  it  that  were  smilingly  answered  by 
the  host  and  the  noble,  motherly  woman  who  had 
been  presented  as  "Milline  Bruce,  my  wife,  Mal- 
colm." After  supper  I  was  shown  to  the  large  room 
on  the  second  floor  that  was  to  be  my  lodgement  dur- 
ing my  stay  in  Oudemon,  and  left  to  prepare  for  the 
inviting  bed  at  my  leisure.  A  small  stand,  similar  to 
those  used  for  gas  with  us,  gave  so  bright  a  light 
from  its  insignificant  little  jet  that  I  inspected  it 
closely.  It  had  a  flattened  base  about  four  inches  in 
diameter,  containing  not  more  than  two  or  three 
ounces  of  fluid  or  whatever  it  was  that  produced  the 
light.  I  learned  later  that  it  was  liquefied  gas,  the 
same  basicly  as  that  employed  to  inflate  the  "aero- 
lat"  or  garment  for  floatation  in  the  air.  This  lique- 
fied gas  was  mixed  with  chemical  substances  to  pro- 

n 


duce  variations  of  intensity  for  illumination,  and 
also  for  use  in  the  domestic  routine  of  a  family  and 
for  a  great  variety  of  industrial  purposes,  some  of 
which  may  be  mentioned  later. 

Before  breakfast  the  next  morning  I  rose  early 
enough  for  a  little  saunter  out  of  doors.  The  build- 
ing, now  my  "hotel,"  so  to  speak,  was  an  oblong 
square,  say  sixty  feet  by  seventy,  two  stories  in 
height,  with  an  oval  tower  at  one  corner  rising  up- 
ward of  forty  feet.  The  ample  dimensions  provided 
for  an  inner  court  twenty-five  by  thirty-five  feet,  laid 
out  in  garden  with  two  small  buildings.  In  one  of 
these  was  a  deep  cistern  filled  with  clear,  sparkling 
water.  By  its  side,  set  upon  a  bronze  platform,  was 
a  small  machine  pump  with  its  system  of  pipes, 
showing  that  the  house  was  served  in  this  conven- 
ient way.  As  there  were  no  indications  of  furnace 
or  boiler,  I  inferred  that  the  pumping  engine  was 
run  by  gas;  the  method  of  its  operation  was  ex- 
plained later  and  seemed  remarkably  ingenious,  al- 
though the  principle  was  simple  enough;  viz.,  that 
of  the  motive  force  obtained  by  the  compression  of 
gas.  The  house  rooms  of  the  first  story  had  each  a 
doorway  to  the  court.  Over  the  court  a  light  frame- 
work of  metal  gracefully  arched.  This  furnished 
support  for  a  canvas  covering  that  could  be  let  down 
from  the  center  on  rainy  days  or  when  the  midday 
sun  of  summer  proved  too  severe.  Surrounding  the 
house  at  distances  convenient  for  air  and  light  were 
many  trees  and  bushes,  both  ornamental  and  fruit- 

74 


bearing.  Here  and  there  a  patch  of  flowering  plants 
contrasted  with  the  emerald  of  the  thick  sod.  In  the 
rear  of  the  house,  bordered  by  palm  and  laurel,  was 
the  vegetable  garden,  with  its  variety  of  comestible 
well  known  to  my  taste,  and  several  plants  of  leaf 
and  flower  quite  unknown  to  my  experience.  Be- 
yond was  the  fruit  garden,  where  tree,  bush  and 
vine  offered  a  tempting  display,  associating  products 
of  the  temperate  North  with  the  delicate  growths  of 
a  tropical  clime.  Conveniently  near  were  the  build- 
ings in  which  were  kept  the  implements  and  ma- 
chinery used  for  tilth  and  culture.  Naturally,  I 
looked  for  a  stable  or  barn,  with  its  inseparable  bed 
or  heap  of  stall  refuse.  There  was  none,  for  they 
have  no  horses  in  Oudemon.  This  surprised  me,  al- 
though the  ride  from  the  frontier  in  the  self-pro- 
pelling wagon  might  have  prepared  me  for  this 
modification  of  civilized  usage. 

Accustomed  to  the  prospect  offered  by  the  rear 
courts  of  dwellings  and  the  back  lots  of  farm  houses 
of  my  home  civilization,  my  eyes  were  somewhat 
unprepared  for  the  striking  contrast  presented  by 
this  "back  yard"  of  the  Bruce  home.  There  were 
no  heaps  or  patches  of  refuse,  with  here  and  there 
stray  bits  of  discarded  tinware  or  ineligible  crock- 
ery; no  scraps  of  exhausted  news  or  book  paper,  no 
remnants  of  dress  stuff  or  vestiges  of  long-neglected 
foot  covering;  no  miscellaneous  collection  of  worn 
and  wasted  articles  from  kitchen,  dining  room,  or 
parlor;   nothing,   in  fine,   suggestive  of  slops  and 

75 


troublesome  waste.  The  same  tidy,  pleasant  order 
ruled  in  the  back  grounds  as  in  the  front;  and  this 
was  early  found  to  be  a  general  fashion  with  the 
folk  I  had  dropped  among,  and  not  a  special  char- 
acteristic of  the  Bruce  family. 

Surrounding  the  house  and  its  group  of  smaller 
erections  was  a  park-like  area  of  ground,  great  trees 
here  and  there  lifting  their  tufted  and  spreading  tops 
one  hundred  and  fifty  or  more  feet  in  air,  and  clus- 
tering shrubbery  in  the  wide  spaces  modestly  court- 
ing the  friendship  of  the  grasses.  Through  the  open- 
ings I  caught  glimpses  of  other  houses,  apparently 
constructed  on  a  similar  plan  to  this  of  the  Bruce 
family.  There  were  no  fences  or  hedgerows  closely 
limiting  or  bounding  the  spaces,  nothing  to  indicate 
division  of  property  or  specialty  of  ownership  in 
land.  Going  out  a  little  distance  on  what  seemed  to 
be  the  highway,  I  found  it  but  twenty-five  feet  in 
width,  a  hard,  smooth  roadbed  of  gravel  and  schist, 
bordered  with  low  growing  plants  and  grass 
smoothly  cut.  Houses  and  buildings  w^ere  com- 
monly constructed  of  a  cement  or  fine  concrete  that 
hardened  with  age  and  showed  little  wear  after 
many  years  of  exposure.  A  tower  that  I  often  vis- 
ited had  an  elevation  of  three  hundred  feet,  and  was 
over  fifty  years  old,  yet  showed  not  a  crack  or 
break  in  its  massive  wall, 

I  was  still  "looking  around"  when  a  low,  gurgling 
sound  drew  my  attention,  and  turning  toward  the 
quarter  whence  the  sound  proceeded  I  saw  a  one- 

76 


seat  carriage,  of  four  wheels,  somewhat  hke  our 
phaeton,  rolHng  in  my  direction. 

Two  men  were  in  it,  and  soon  in  one  of  them  I 
recognized  my  friend  the  traveler.  Stopping  at  my 
side,  he  sprang  upon  the  ground. 

"Well,  Malcolm,  out  prospecting  already?  How 
does  the  land  strike  you?" 

"Most  delightfully,  dear  Mr.  Restling.  Its  many 
surprises  have  made  me  feel  as  if  I  were  in  a  won- 
derland." 

"While  among  us,  my  good  boy,  will  you  not 
adopt  our  custom  of  address  ?  Call  me  Archbold,  as 
we  shall  call  you  Malcolm.  I  am  much  older  than 
you,  yet  old  and  young  are  brothers  and  sisters. 
Our  friend  here  is  Irving  of  the  Scott  house,  a  few 
miles  yonder.    He  is  one  of  our  councillors." 

Offering  my  hand,  I  said :  "Am  pleased  to  know 
you,  Irving,  with  so  worthy  a  Scottish  patronymic." 

Laughing  softly  and  giving  me  a  lengthened 
grasp,  he  replied : 

"Malcolm,  there's  something  of  the  bonny  Scot  in 
you,  too,  if  there's  anything  in  the  name.  I  have 
ridden  over  with  Archbold  to  welcome  you  and  to 
say  that  our  Committee  will  meet  for  its  weekly  ses- 
sion to-morrow  at  mid-forenoon — not  much  to  do, 
Archbold,  as  you  know.  All  are  desirous  to  see  our 
visitor." 

"I  shall  come,  of  course,  ]\Ir. Irving." 

At  this  juncture  I  felt  a  slight  pull  on  my  coat 
skirt,  and  looking  down  saw  a  monkey,  perhaps  two 

77 


feet  and  a  half  high,  grinning  at  me  and  pointing 
toward  the  house. 

"One  of  our  much-used  house  attendants,"  said 
Resthng.  "He's  a  howler;  you  have  heard  of  the 
species?  Among  us  they  are  trained  to  do  many 
little  services.  He  announces  that  breakfast  is 
ready.     We  will  go  in  with  you." 

On  our  turning  toward  the  house  the  monkey 
gave  a  small,  squeaky  cry,  and  ran  away.  Whether 
or  not  Archbold  and  Irving  were  expected  to  sit  at 
table  with  us,  they  made  part  of  the  company  that 
partook  of  the  toothsome  and  abundant  meal,  only 
remarking  as  they  entered  the  room  where  the  Bruce 
family  were  waiting:  "A  happy  meeting,  dear 
friends,"  which  was  responded  to  in  the  same  cor- 
dial spirit  Milline  pointing  them  to  two  places  that 
had  been  made  ready  at  the  ample  table. 

Besides  mine  host  and  hostess  this  Bruce  fam- 
ily included  a  grown-up  son,  Willis,  a  daughter 
Stella,  about  midway  in  her  teens,  a  younger  brother 
of  Jasper,  as  yet  unmarried,  and  a  young  woman 
from  a  neighboring  district  who  assisted  in  the  du- 
ties of  the  house.  There  were  chairs  for  all  at  the 
table,  no  kitchen  maid  or  waiter  succeeding  us  for  a 
second  meal.  I  soon  learned  that  perfect  equality 
subsisted  among  these  people,  no  distinction  being 
made  in  the  domestic  regime  or  in  social  relations. 
The  idea  of  class  subordination,  of  one  being  in- 
ferior to  another,  seemed  to  have  been  lost  from 
their  economics.    Two  monkeys  also  belonged  to  the 

78 


house  equipment — lively,  amusing  little  fellows,  but 
well  behaved  for  monkeys,  and  showing  themselves 
useful  and  trustworthy  servants  in  many  respects; 
some  I  met  with  in  my  visits  at  other  homes  were 
so  well  trained  and  intelligent  that  it  seemed  they 
needed  ability  to  speak  only  to  complete  their  ac- 
complishmens. 

Jasper  placed  one  of  his  at  my  disposal,  and  after 
a  short  interval  for  becoming  acquainted  with  each 
other  I  found  Jabber,  as  he  was  named,  a  very  amia- 
ble and  helpful  valet,  running  on  errands,  carrying 
messages,  and  even  helping  to  dress.  Besides,  on 
my  rambles  into  the  country,  when  I  took  him  along, 
he  amused  me  by  his  mischievous  yet  always  good- 
natured  antics 

MY  FIRST  OUTING. 

After  breakfast  Restling  carried  me  away  in  his 
autolat,  as  the  people  termed  their  self-running 
wagons — many  also  styled  it  a  "goalone,"  espe- 
cially the  young  folks.  The  power  to  run  the  wheels 
was  furnished  by  a  little  engine  actuated  by  the  gas 
of  which  mention  has  been  made.  No  fire  was  re- 
quired, only  the  energy  of  compression,  the  gas  be- 
ing stored  in  small  cylinders  of  metal  sheets  remark- 
ably thin,  yet  of  great  strength.  These  cylinders,  as 
applied  in  the  propulsion  of  ordinary  light  wagons, 
were  but  three  inches  in  diameter  and  ten  inches  in 
length,  and  held  safely  gas  whose  volume  when  free 

79 


would  exceed  2,500  cubic  feet.  Yet  the  tremendous 
force  thus  stored  up  in  the  cylinder  was  so  nicely 
adjusted  by  a  valve  that  a  child  could  operate  the 
machinery  after  a  few  lessons.  I  had  taken  but  a 
few  rides  when  I  found  myself  a  fair  "driver."  It 
was  not  customary  to  run  at  high  speed,  except  in 
emergent  cases — rare  enough  in  Oudemon,  yet  I 
am  sure  that  I  could  have  obtained  a  rate  of  fifty 
miles  an  hour  with  the  vehicle  put  at  my  disposal. 
The  merest  turn  of  the  graduated  key  set  me  off,  and 
five  degrees  of  variation  developed  a  speed  of  ten 
miles.  The  general  character  of  the  country  being 
level  naturally  or  made  so  by  the  improving  hands 
of  this  industrious  little  nation,  the  use  of  the  auto- 
lat  rendered  it  easy  to  compass  long  distances  in  the 
course  of  a  day. 

In  Archbold's  company  a  considerable  tour  was 
made  that  first  morning,  and  my  eyes  and  ears  ab- 
sorbed much  of  detail  relating  to  landscape  and  peo- 
ple. From  him  I  learned  that  the  settlements  cov- 
ered about  nine  thousand  square  miles  which  for  the 
most  part  had  been  transformed  into  a  great  park 
and  garden.  One's  view  in  every  direction  took  in 
trees,  shrubbery,  houses,  gardens  and  meadow  open- 
ings. Did  he  ascend  to  the  roof  of  one  of  the  tow- 
ers that  stood  in  every  district,  and  which  rise  to  a 
height  of  two  hundred  feet  and  more,  he  obtained 
a  good  view,  or  glimpse,  on  a  fair  day,  of  mountain 
ridges  that  eastward,  northward  and  southward 
as  well  as  westward,  hem  in  Oudemon.     An  early 

80 


morning  prospect  from  one  of  these  towers  was 
grandly  beautiful,  challenging  description.  The 
play  of  slanting  sunbeams  over  and  through  the 
rich  vegetation  with  its  remarkable  variety  of  large 
and  small  growths — products  of  care  and  culture 
seen  in  no  other  land  to  such  perfection  in  leaf, 
flower  and  fruit,  was  enchanting  beyond  expres- 
sion to  an  esthetic  nature.  Here  and  there  bright, 
silvery  gems  of  lake  and  river  heightened  the  effect 
of  the  foliage  greens  and  browns,  and  cropping  up 
at  intervals  amid  their  leafy  environment  the  roofs 
and  upper  stories  of  houses  in  gray,  white,  brown 
and  blue,  added  man's  neat  and  graceful  handiwork 
to  the  charming  creations  of  the  Divine  IMaster 
Builder. 

I  had  read  of  the  Brazil  country,  its  soft  climatic 
conditions  and  profuse  vegetation,  but  was  not  pre- 
pared for  the  delightful  effects  that  commanded  my 
notice  on  this  first  outing  with  Restling.  The  sea- 
son in  that  sub-equatorial  region  was  advanced 
spring;  vegetation  was  in  the  fullness  of  leaf  and 
flower,  the  air  was  balmy,  yet  exhilarating  in  its 
freshness  and  purity;  the  sky  almost  cloudless,  such 
gossamer  masses  as  were  visible  intensifying  the 
deep  blue.  Commenting  on  the  order  and  beauty  of 
garden,  field  and  W'Ood,  as  the  rare  physiognomy  of 
the  roadside  presented  itself  to  my  eyes,  I  could  not 
but  express  much  surprise  at  the  degree  of  perfec- 
tion that  had  been  attained.  My  companion  re- 
marked : 

8i 


"Remembering  that  our  people  have  been  in  this 
region  over  a  hundred  years,  it  is  not  so  wonderful 
that  their  industry  has  made  changes  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  landscape.  You  will  see,  ere  long, 
that  we  have  certain  methods  or  habits  in  regard  to 
matters  agricultural  that  tend  to  maintain  the  neat- 
ness and  order  you  so  appreciate.  In  a  sense,  so 
far  as  interest  in  farm  and  garden  is  concerned,  we 
are  all  farmers,  everybody  old  enough  doing  some- 
thing for  the  growth — trees,  plants  or  what  not — 
according  to  their  taste  and  leisure." 

"May  I  ask,  Archbold,  the  extent  of  your  popu- 
lation?" 

"Certainly,  Malcolm.  According  to  our  lastest 
registration  there  are  482,674  of  us.  Last  evening 
our  statistician,  Boyle  Kingsley,  whom  I  met  on  the 
way  to  the  western  ridge,  informed  me  that  a  boy 
had  been  born  in  the  thirty-fourth  district,  about 
seventy-five  miles  from  here,  which  adds  one  more 
to  the  number." 

"You  do  not  increase  rapidly,  then  ?" 

"No,  not  as  your  economists  may  reckon  growth 
in  numbers ;  yet  our  increase  has  been  steady  the  past 
forty  years.  This  has  proved  a  very  healthful  cli- 
mate, especially  for  our  children.  When  you  visit 
our  mausoleum,  you  will  see  that  very  few  children 
of  tender  age  are  inscribed  upon  the  tablets.  As 
soon  as  our  people  became  acclimated — no,  I  should 
scarcely  say  that — ^but  that  as  soon  as  they  learned 
to  live  wisely  here  they  found  that  health  was  the 

82 


rule,  and  many  things  in  the  BraziHan  climate  that 
settlers  in  other  parts  of  this  continent  consider  per- 
nicious were  really  not  so,  or  could  be  modified  so 
much  as  not  to  affect  us  unfavorably.  We  have  liv- 
ing among  us  a  few  of  the  early  settlers,  men  and 
women,  who  came  in  before  the  great  upheaval. 
These  must  be  a  hundred  years  old,  some  older ;  yet, 
with  but  one  or  two  exceptions,  they  are  able  to  be  of 
use  to  themselves  and  others." 

I  visited  several  of  these  ancients,  as  opportunity 
offered,  and  found  them  very  interesting  folk.  With 
memory  fairly  good,  they  could  recite  many  inci- 
dents in  the  early  history  of  the  colony,  and  empha- 
sized by  their  own  participation  in  it  the  remarkable 
development  of  the  country  and  people.  As  Rest- 
ling  had  said,  the  man  chiefly  instrumental  in  or- 
ganizing the  original  colony  was  a  Scotchman  with 
"peculiar"  views,  social  and  religious.  A  mixed 
class  of  persons  joined  him,  mainly  from  the  rural 
districts,  among  them  a  good  proportion  of  New 
Englanders,  fairly  educated,  whose  influence  became 
predominant  in  the  new  country.  The  Scotchman 
lived  long  enough  to  see  his  ideas  engrafted  firmly 
on  the  life  of  the  growing  community.  Among  peo- 
ple of  fairly  rational  minds  it  was  to  be  expected 
that  a  system  of  modus  vivendi  that  promoted  gen- 
eral improvement  and  individual  happiness  would  be 
accepted.  Albeit  a  Nordau  might  interpose  the  ob- 
jection that  "the  natural  perversity"  or  "tendency  to 
degeneration"  of  human  nature  would  be  likely  to 

83 


neutralize  the  endeavor  of  a  few  exceptionally  con- 
stituted souls  to  better  the  lot  of  all.  Oudemon, 
however,  illustrated  the  happy  normal  side  of  things 
human,  and  demonstrated  the  effect  of  a  good  be- 
ginning, and  the  influence  of  manners  and  habits  of 
a  healthful  type  upon  people  of  average  mental  con- 
stitution. 


84 


CHAPTER  V. 

AN  UNOFFICIAL  BODY. 

My  host,  Bruce,  accompanied  me  to  the  meeting-  of 
the  council,  and  on  the  way  described  some  of  the 
methods  in  practice  for  managing  such  public  affairs 
as  required  the  attention  of  persons  of  intelHgence 
and  judgment  above  the  average,  who  exercised 
their  functions  by  the  title  of  respect  accorded  to 
their  wisdom  rather  than  by  any  special  appoint- 
ment. The  simplicity  of  detail  that  characterized 
affairs  usually  termed  civil  would  have  confounded 
a  Boston  or  Chicago  politician,  while  the  perfection 
of  result  would  have  delighted  a  disciple  of  Henry 
George. 

"The  council  is  composed  of  our  older  men  and  a 
few  women,"  said  Bruce,  "who  serve  voluntarily,  or 
rather  because  of  their  love  for  the  community. 
Every  matter  of  interest,  if  there  is  any  controversy, 
comes  to  them  for  adjustment,  and  their  decision  or 
opinion  is  final.  Sometimes  a  vote  or  tally  of  voices 
is  called,  for  the  sake  of  a  definite  expression,  but 
that  is  rarely  done." 

"Rarely  done,  Jasper?  Why,  then,  your  proceed- 
ings are  not  quite  parliamentary !"  I  exclaimed. 

"Perhaps  not,  in  your  sense,  Malcolm,  yet  our 
85 


council  deliberates  ^vith  much  earnestness  some- 
times, for  it  does  occur  when  a  grave  matter  de- 
mands careful  consideration.  Even  the  application 
of  our  Royal  Law  may  not  be  perfectly  clear,  and 
a  vote  will  be  expedient.  Usually  the  proper  course 
becomes  obvious  enough  and  opinion  is  unanimous." 

"Who  is  your  president  or  governor,  Jasper?"  I 
asked,  somewhat  perversely,  it  should  be  confessed. 

"We  have  no  such  officer,  or  civil  head  such  as 
your  civilization  or  economics  recognizes." 

"No — well,  how,  then,  is  your  government  car- 
ried on?" 

"We  have  no  system  at  all  analogous  to  what  you 
are  accustomed  to,  Malcolm.  Our  council  is  the  only 
body  that  possesses  anything  like  a  recognized  au- 
thority or  power  of  decision.  Perhaps  it  might  be 
termed  by  your  statesmen  a  mere  board  of  reference, 
existing  by  the  courtesy  of  the  populace." 

"Well,  this  is  the  most  extraordinary  feature — 
Mr.  Br-r — my  good  sir,  most  unprecedented  in  all 
my  observation.  Archbold  intimated  something  of 
the  kind  when  I  met  him  in  my  own  city ;  but,  then, 
in  my  incredulity,  I  was  inclined  to  think  that  he 
was  chaffing  me,  as  we  say.  No  real  system  of  gov- 
ernment! A  mere  semblance  of  authority!  Why, 
you  must  be  pure  Communists  or  Anarchists,  or 
something  approximate !" 

"As  you  please,  my  young  friend  of  possible  po- 
litical aspirations,"  he  returned,  in  great  good  hu- 
mor. 

86 


"No,  I  have  none,"  I  cried.  "As  affairs  are  con- 
ducted at  home  there  is  httle  charm  in  pohtics  for 
me.  But  tell  me,  please,  how,  in  the  name  of  order 
and  justice,  do  you  manage?  What  you  have  al- 
ready said  does  not  clear  my  vision  quite." 

Bruce  smiled  at  my  astonishment  and  insistence. 
"We  have  something  in  the  way  of  law  or  precept 
or  standard  of  action,  certainly,  if  we  lack  a  fixed 
government  according  to  your  idea.  Our  Royal 
Law  is  early  stamped  in  the  head  and  heart  of  every 
child  born  among  us,  and  its  meaning  is  taught  and 
illustrated  with  the  primary  training  of  home  and 
school." 

"And  what  is  this  marvelous  Royal  Law  that 
operates  so  effectually  on  morals  and  manners?  I 
would  learn  it  myself." 

"Simple  enough,  Malcolm ;  to  the  willing  learner 
very  simple.  You  will  probably  see  occasions  for  its 
application  while  here,  and  by  illustration  compre- 
hend its  nature  more  thoroughly  than  it  were  possi- 
ble by  mere  definitions  or  formulas." 

At  the  council  meeting  there  were  present  but 
fourteen  of  the  thirty-nine  members,  or  district  rep- 
resentatives, five  of  them  women.  Rarely  have  I 
seen  a  company  of  as  noble-appearing  people.  All 
were  tall  and  well  proportioned  and  exhibiting  every 
sign  of  robust  health.  The  women  were  attired  in 
garments  of  inconspicuous  yet  graceful  pattern,  well 
fitting,  yet  modestly  cut,  and  short  enough  in  the 
skirt  to  permit  easy,  unhampered  movement.    There 

87 


was  no  affectation  of  show  or  ornamentation,  only  a 
contrast  of  color  in  trimming  to  relieve  what  might 
otherwise  appear  extremely  plain,  and  a  ribbon  in 
the  abundant  hair  or  at  the  waist.  I  have  said  "ex- 
tremely plain,"  when  it  should  be  said  that  the  ma- 
terial of  which  their  garments  were  fashioned  was 
of  a  texture  and  quality  that  in  each  case,  although 
neutral,  rather,  in  dye,  would  have  invited  the  ad- 
miration of  a  connoisseur  in  dress  goods,  because  of 
its  fineness  and  adaptation  to  the  service  required. 
On  our  arrival  the  unanimous  outburst  of  "Happy 
meetings"  was  somewhat  embarrassing  from  per- 
sons whose  first  acquaintance  impressed  me  so 
strongly,  yet  after  a  few  minutes  I  felt  quite  at  ease, 
although  my  respect  for  them  increased  with  fa- 
miliarity. 

UNDER  INSPECTION A  NOVEL  TEST. 

"Perhaps  our  friend  from  the  North  will  not  ob- 
ject to  our  Temperament  test,"  remarked  one  of  the 
women, 

"Why,  no,  if  It  is  not  a  thing  that  bites,"  I  re- 
plied. 

A  low  ripple  of  laughter  went  around,  and  the  old- 
est man,  in  appearance,  of  the  assembly,  to  whom 
much  deference  was  shown,  said :  "Let  it  be  tried ; 
we  do  not  chance  upon  a  foreign  example  often, 
friends,  and  our  Malcolm,  I  think,  will  prove  a  prom- 
ising case.    Caroline,  for  your  trial." 

88 


Caroline  produced  from  a  closet  several  sheets  of 
a  glossy,  translucent  tissue  and  a  bottle.  Coming, 
then,  to  me  she  offered  one  of  the  sheets,  saying: 
"Malcolm,  may  I  ask  you  to  breathe  two  or  three 
times  upon  this?" 

Taking  the  sheet  and  holding  it  closely  to  my 
lips,  I  breathed  upon  it  three  times.  Quickly  seiz- 
ing the  sheet,  the  lady  councillor  poured  a  few  drops 
from  the  bottle  upon  it,  and  holding  it  horizontally 
waited  for  results,  all  the  others  meanwhile  being 
as  attentive.  Gradually  there  appeared  a  light  blue 
tinge  over  the  surface,  with  radial  streaks  of  yellow 
and  brown  that  deepened  toward  the  edges. 

"It  is  well,"  said  Marcus,  the  senior  of  the  gath- 
ering. "Our  impression  is  confirmed.  Jasper,  will 
you  make  a  trial,  too,  that  Malcolm  may  see  the 
effect  in  your  case  ?" 

My  host  at  once  took  a  sheet  and  breathed  upon 
it,  Caroline  applying  the  solution.  A  rich  gold  color 
was  evolved,  in  which  a  few  faint  lines  of  green 
were  visible. 

"Jasper  has  gained,  brothers,  think  you  so,  since 
the  last  trial  ?" 

A  cordial  response  of  "Yes,"  "Very  evident,"  "As 
we  might  expect,"  broke  from  the  company,  Xvhile  a 
smile  of  great  sweetness  rested  upon  the  features  of 
Bruce.  Of  course  my  face  betrayed  my  curiosity  re- 
garding this  strange  procedure,  and  I  had  not  long 
to  wait  for  an  explanation. 

"That  you  may  know  what  this  test  means,  Mai- 
89 


colm,"  the  elder  now  added,  "I  should  advise  you 
that  our  students  of  nature,  especially  human  nature, 
of  whom  our  Caroline  is  a  most  zealous  one,  have 
determined  a  relationship  between  chemistry  and  the 
vital  excretions,  which  affords  an  estimate  of  the 
average  mental  state  of  an  individual.  The  changes 
wrought  by  this  peculiar  solution  when  in  contact 
with  the  products  of  expiration  show  the  dominant 
traits  or  feeling  in  the  character,  whether  good  or 
ill.  Thus  we  have  brought  out  whether  an  excitable, 
angry,  envious  disposition,  or  a  kind,  generous, 
broad,  cheerful,  hopeful  nature  rules  in  the  thought 
and  conduct.  Your  sheet  there  shows  that  your  feel- 
ing toward  the  world  is  in  the  main  a  calm  and  rea- 
sonable one,  based  upon  not  a  little  experience.  The 
general  blue  shading  indicates  that  you  are  cool  and 
even-tempered,  not  inclined  to  make  trouble  or  en- 
gage in  quarrel;  a  man  of  peace  in  most  circum- 
stances; yet,  if  we  must  believe  the  brown  tints,  you 
have  inherited  elements  of  temper  that,  under  great 
provocation,  may  exhibit  an  energy  that  will  over- 
come almost  any  obstacle — an  earnest  warmth  of 
feeling  that  it  would  not  be  well  for  a  foe  to  chal- 
lenge. The  yellow  lines  show  that  your  view  of 
matters  is  cheerful,  as  a  rule;  you  do  not  worry 
much  over  failure  or  mischances.  Toward  those  who 
show  an  interest  in  you,  and  are  affectionate  and  ten- 
der, you  respond  to  a  degree,  but  are  not  often 
known  to  take  the  initiative  in  expressing  emotion 
of  an  ardent  character,  unless  occasion  of  an  unusual 

90 


sort  awakens  the  undercurrent  of  temper  to  which  I 
referred  a  moment  ago.  Thus  the  breath  leaf — 
Caroline  our  skilled  inspector  may  point  out  further 
characteristics,  if  you  wish,  Malcolm." 

"Quite  enough  for  the  present,  worthy  sir  and 
friend,"  I  answered.  "A  very  kind  portrait  and,  as 
I  see  myself,  quite  true  to  my  virtues.  With  so  pro- 
nounced a  chemical  basis  the  method  equals  that  of 
most  of  the  professional  character  readers  I  have 
met." 

"Yes,  Malcolm,"  said  Caroline,  "this  is  a  scientific 
procedure  that  offers  to  your  own  examination  its 
clear  evidence.  You  may  obtain  the  reaction  in  any 
case,  and  study  its  markings  at  your  leisure  as  you 
would  a  photographic  negative,  according  to  a  formu- 
lary taught  in  our  treatises  on  psychological  chem- 
istry. Consider  the  leaf  of  our  brother,  Bruce.  You 
notice  the  rich  tone  of  the  color ;  that  shows  a  warm, 
loving  nature  dominant  in  him :  always  generous 
and  hopeful,  and  unselfish  to  a  marked  degree " 

"But  the  green  lines,  Caroline?"  interrupted  my 
host. 

"The  green  lines  are  weakening;  quite  less  con- 
spicuous than  in  the  last,  I  am  sure.  Jasper  is  not 
so  personal  in  his  aims;  the  old  family  peculiarity  of 
ambition  that  led  its  members  to  desire  special  re- 
spect and  preference  among  men — in  a  word,  pride 
of  race  and  a  jealousy  toward  others  who  might  ob- 
tain more  notice — has  lost  most  of  its  strength  in 
his  disposition." 

91 


"Admirable  chemistry,  friends,  indeed;  a  moral 
monitor!  I  infer  that  you  are  in  the  habit  of  mak- 
ing this  test  to  learn  whether  or  not  there  are 
changes  in  one's  nature." 

"Yes,  especially  in  the  cases  of  our  children  and 
young  people ;  it  supplies  a  trusty  criterion  for  their 
training  and  guidance.  In  our  educational  houses 
we  follow  a  regular  course  in  employing  it;  the 
sheets  are  numbered  and  filed  for  reference,  and 
serve  as  records  of  mental  growth  and  character 
formation." 

"My  associates  of  the  council,"  added  Marcus, 
"will  agree  with  me  that  nothing  else  that  has  been 
introduced  into  our  practical  life,  within  the  genera- 
tion, has  done  so  much  toward  the  moral  improve- 
ment of  our  people  as  this  comparatively  simple  de- 
vice of  our  chemists.  The  fact  that  the  breath  will 
show  almost  what  a  person  is  thinking  of  has  ac- 
tually been  the  impelling  cause  to  the  reform  of  some 
of  us  who  appeared  to  be  falling  back  into  the  old, 
perverse  habits  of  our  ancestors.  Let  us  now  to 
duty." 

Then  ensued  the  consideration  of  several  matters 
that  had  been  registered  in  a  special  book  by  one  of 
the  number,  who  acted  as  a  secretary  would  at  one 
of  our  meetings.  There  were  questions  regarding 
the  roads,  the  management  of  a  certain  school,  the 
improvement  of  a  water  course,  the  excavation  of  a 
mining  tunnel,  the  propriety  of  certain  experiments 
with  chemicals  that  were  dangerous  to  their  manip- 

92 


ulators,  the  care  of  an  aged  man  who  was  W'idowed 
and  had  no  children  or  relatives,  and  finally  the  se- 
lection of  some  one  to  perform  service  of  a  respon- 
sible nature  in  a  distant  section  of  Oudemon.  Re- 
garding the  old  man,  wdio  had  become  too  infirm  to 
labor  for  his  own  maintenance,  it  became  the  duty 
of  the  council  to  name  the  family  that  should  pro- 
vide a  home  for  him,  a  dozen  places  in  his  district 
having  been  offered.  The  only  item  of  gravity  was 
the  last.  As  reported  by  the  secretary,  certain  signs 
had  been  received  from  thirty-four,  reflecting  un- 
happily on  the  recent  conduct  of  one  who  occupied 
a  quasi-public  relation  to  the  people  of  his  district. 

"Caroline  will  show  us  the  last  sheet  taken  from 
the  brother,"  said  the  elder  councillor. 

The  lady  associate  opened  a  portfolio  that  had 
been  lying  on  the  table,  and  drew  out  one  of  the 
character  tests.  It  was  numbered  786-34  in  one  cor- 
ner. On  holding  it  up  to  the  light  there  w^as  re- 
vealed a  hazy  yellow  field,  with  strong  purplish  lines 
running  in  irregular  curves.  An  expression  of  seri- 
ous concern  marked  the  faces  of  all  present. 

"Show  us  the  previous  number,  sister." 

She  drew  out  another  sheet,  numbered  785-34 
and  held  it  up  by  the  side  of  the  first.  There  was  a 
similar  yellow  field,  but  the  dark  lines  were  less  dis- 
tinct. 


93 


MILD  DISCIPLINE. 

"Foster  is  a  sick  man,  we  regret  to  see.  His  mal- 
ady is  growing  upon  him.  Brothers  of  the  council, 
what  think  you  should  be  done?" 

All  were  silent;  then  Restling  spoke:  "We  are 
sorry,  dear  friends,  for  this  brother,  but  shall  we  go 
to  the  extent  of  asking  him  to  withdraw  from  work 
he  has  undertaken?  He  is  able  and  skilful,  and  a 
while  since  the  district  was  entirely  content.  Would 
it  not  be  wise  for  us  to  send  one  to  him  who  will 
apprise  him  of  our  sorrow  at  the  change  that  has 
come  upon  him  ?  Will  not  he  recognize  the  power  of 
the  Royal  Law  and  yield  to  its  admonition?  I 
think  he  will." 

"Well  spoken,"  said  Marcus.  "Have  any  others 
of  our  company  a  word  to  say?" 

Several  spoke  to  the  effect  that  the  suggestion  of 
Archbold  was  appropriate,  and  they  knew  no  better 
course. 

"Well,  then,  Walter,  as  you  live  in  the  neighbor- 
ing district,  will  you  see  Foster?  Convey  our  lov- 
ing regard  to  him,  and  assure  him  of  our  confidence 
in  his  ability  to  overcome  the  weakness  that  has  af- 
fected his  spirit.  You  know  well  how  to  express  the 
mind  of  the  Great  Master,  and  I  little  doubt  that  the 
word  in  season  will  set  him  right." 

"Certainly,  my  dear  elder,"  replied  the  one  ad- 
dressed, "I  shall  be  pleased  to  undertake  this  mis- 
sion." 

94 


Hereupon  the  meeting  ended,  and  after  a  general 
handshaking  and  exchanges  of  parting  wishes  the 
councillors  separated  in  the  open  space  before  the 
entrance  of  the  assembly  hall.  Those  who  lived  at 
a  distance  rode  away  on  their  goalones,  while  a  few 
departed  on  foot. 

Returning  with  Bruce,  I  asked  many  questions 
that  were  suggested  by  the  proceedings  to  which  I 
had  listened.    Finally  I  ventured  : 

"What  is  the  nature  of  the  trouble  in  the  case  of 
Foster?  I  could  not  gather  it  from  the  remarks 
made  in  the  meeting." 

"These  things,  Malcolm,  are  not  freely  discussed 
by  us,  in  detail.  It  is  sufficient  to  know  their  bear- 
ing and  effect,  especially  upon  the  person  himself. 
Our  rule  is  to  say  as  little  as  possible  of  things  that 
are  discreditable  in  the  conduct  of  one." 

"To  his  faults  a  little  blind,  eh,  Jasper?" 

"Yes,  that's  it,  in  a  good  measure.  So,  too,  we 
do  not  wait  until  one  is  dead  before  we  speak  well  of 
him  or  her.  But  some  explanation  of  Foster's  case 
is  due  to  you.  He  has  been  showing  a  disposition  to 
misrepresent  in  certain  of  his  dealings.  His  plate 
disclosed  a  spirit  having  a  tendency  to  covetousness 
and  over-selfishness,  I  regret  to  say,  and  in  the  ex- 
changes of  his  department  there  have  been  instances 
of  personal  unfairness  that  have  caused  protest  on 
the  part  of  people  concerned,  but  to  which  he  has 
given  little  regard." 

"Marcus  termed  it  a  sort  of  sickness,  did  he  not?" 
95 


"Yes,  a  mental  sickness,  that  may  become  worse  if 
not  treated  promptly." 

"You  Oudemonites  seem  to  look  upon  that  chem- 
ical breath  test  as  quite  infallible,  Jasper?" 

"And  with  reason,  my  dear  skeptic,  of  Northern 
notions,  for  it  has  been  in  use  with  us  for  many 
years,  and  its  truth  demonstrated  in  every  case  with 
an  accurate  solution.  It  holds  the  mirror  up  to  na- 
ture. You  may  travel  all  through  our  country  and 
not  find  a  single  grown-up  man  or  woman  who 
doubts  its  virtue.  Of  course  I  except  the  few  peo- 
ple of  unsound  mind  among  us." 

"You  have,  then,  some  crazy  ones  ?" 

"Yes,  a  very  few  such  unfortunates.  The  man 
who  seriously  discredits  the  breath  test  we  consider 
mentally  unsound,  or  dishonest,  which  is  much  the 
same  in  effect." 

"By  that  standard,  Jasper,  I  fear  that  your  coun- 
cil board  would  adjudge  most  of  us  Northerners  in 
the  category  of  the  daft.  But  what  do  you  with 
your  insane?" 

"The  very  few  we  have  are  cared  for  by  their  dis- 
trict. We  have  no  fixed  place,  no  asylum,  such  as 
yours.  Usually  their  relatives  maintain  them  or 
families  in  succession  take  turns  in  keeping  them,  so 
that  the  burden  is  distributed.  It  is  a  voluntary 
service,  however,  and  not  regarded  as  a  hardship  to 
provide  for  the  unfortunate  victim  of  mind  loss." 

"Then  your  dements  cannot  be  violent.' 

"No,  our  habits  are  such  that  the  so-called  stron- 
96 


ger,  or  passional  faculties,  are  not  aroused  to  that 
stage  which  becomes  excitement  and  turbulence  on 
occasion.  It  must  be  expected  that  some  of  our  very- 
old  folk  will  show  feebleness  of  sense  as  well  as 
weakness  of  muscle;  but  it  will  surprise  you  to  see 
men  and  women  among  us  bordering  upon  a  hun- 
dred years  who  are  not  yet  altogether  unable  to  be 
of  service  in  some  respect.  Our  elderly  people  are 
our  pride." 

"Then  you  do  admit,  Jasper,  one  of  the  senti- 
ments that  'pufifeth  up,'  according  to  the  Episcopal 
liturgy,"  I  interposed,  laughingly. 

"Such  a  man,  for  instance,  as  our  Councillor 
Marcus." 

"Oh,  I  confess  that  your  pride  in  him  is  laudable; 
but  how  old  is  he,  pray?" 

"Marcus  was  born  in  the  year  1765  at  Great 
Barrington,  Mass." 

"Not  possible,  Jasper.  I  should  not  take  him  to 
be  over  seventy-five  at  the  most.  There  is  not  the 
slightest  intimation  of  decline  in  his  mental  fiber. 
Certainly  a  rare  mind.  I  must  see  others  of  your 
patriarchs  after  this  Nestor." 

COMMUNISM   OF   LABOR. 

On  our  road  we  passed  a  group  of  boys  and  girls 
engaged  with  rakes,  hoes  and  other  implements  in 
improving  the  condition  of  the  pavement  and  side 
paths.     They  were  evidently  enjoying  the  work,  and 

97 


doing  it  with  so  much  zest  that  I  asked  Bruce  to 
stop  and  permit  me  to  have  a  Httle  chat  with  them. 
Going  on,  he  said:  "Our  children,  old  and  young, 
but  strong  enough,  have  an  active  share,  you  see,  in 
our  community.  That  is  a  detail  from  one  of  the 
schools  of  this  district.  Every  day,  at  a  certain 
hour,  so  many  are  designated  for  this  service — to 
do  light  duty  on  the  roads.  There  is  a  sort  of  road 
commission  in  every  district  that  attends  to  the 
general  matter  of  road  making  and  the  heavier 
Vk^ork ;  but  after  a  road  has  been  constructed  by  men, 
the  children  have  little  trouble  to  keep  it  in  fair 
order.  Our  wagons  are  not  heavy,  and  we  have 
no  horses  to  stamp  holes  in  them,  and  even  in  our 
rainy  season  there  does  not  come  often  so  severe  a 
downpour  as  to  wash  them  out.  Over  there  you 
can  see,  Malcolm,  one  of  our  veterans  trimming  a 
hedge  of  laurel. 

"Yes." 

"He  is  one  of  our  oldest,  yet  an  excellent  gardener 
and  able  to  perform  a  morning's  work." 

The  aged  man  was  whistling  cheerily  as  he  plied 
the  shears;  and  when  we  passed  near  enough  to 
attract  his  attention  he  waved  a  hand  in  salutation. 

"Your  community  or  country,  Jasper,"  I  said,  in 
continuance  of  the  conversation,  "has  about  four 
hundred  and  fifty  or  four  hundred  and  sixty  thou- 
sand, the  development  of  little  over  a  century,  as  I 
am  informed.  Such  a  growth  seems  remarkable 
from  so  small  a  beginning  as  yours  was.     Your 

98 


families  must  average  a  larger  number  of  children 
than  ours  for  such  a  result." 

"Like  all  new  colonies,  my  young  economist,  our 
families  were  larger  in  the  early  years  of  the  settle- 
ment, but  now  the  average  does  not  exceed  three 
children.  But  we  are  a  marrying  people,  believing 
earnestly  in  wedlock  and  domestic  life  as  funda- 
mental to  a  well-ordered  social  polity,  and  contribu- 
ting to  the  best  individual  and  community  welfare. 
When  our  young  folks  attain  full  maturity  of  body 
and  mind,  we  do  not  hurry  their  development  as 
your  social  practices  do — they  expect  to  form  alli- 
ances for  life,  and  do  so,  with  few  exceptions.  On 
this  topic  of  our  domestic  relations,  I  should  prefer, 
Malcolm,  that  you  would  confer  with  some  of  our 
women.  They  will  be  glad,  I  know,  to  tender  you 
all  the  information  you  would  ask.  They  do  not 
affect  prudishness,  and  have  no  finical  notions  of 
shame-facedness  that  interfere  with  duty  and  hu- 
manity. From  childhood  they  are  instructed  in 
every  propriety  and  need  of  their  organisms ;  and  so 
are  the  boys  in  regard  to  themselves.  Little  dif- 
ference is  made  in  the  general  education  of  our  boys 
and  girls.  We  believe  with  the  philosopher,  Emer- 
son, that  'the  virtues  are  natural  to  us  and  not  a 
painful  acquisition;'  and  by  the  early  inculcation  of 
proper  habits,  and  the  influence  of  healthful  example 
our  children,  as  a  rule,  grow  up  in  love  of  truth, 
order  and  purity.  You  will  see  among  them  an  un- 
conscious innocence  of  evil  thought,  and  yet,  because 

99 


of  careful  instruction  by  parent  and  teacher,  they  are 
wise  about  things  your  people  keep  from  their  young 
children  lest  they  should  be  corrupted  by  adopt- 
ing vicious  habits.  Our  teachers  believe  that  the 
way  to  make  good  men  and  women  is  to  establish 
good  habits  in  children  as  early  as  may  be,  and  that 
it  is  more  in  agreement  with  human  nature  for  chil- 
dren to  obey  normal,  healthful  instincts  than  do 
what  is  harmful  and  improper.  If  they  have  no 
corrupt  teaching,  no  bad  examples  set  them  by  asso- 
ciates, they  are  likely  to  act  spontaneously  in  accord- 
ance with  what  is  right  and  pure.  Their  motives 
will  be  innocent  of  moral  perversion,  at  any  rate, 
and  their  conduct  need  only  the  guidance  of  the  ex- 
perienced parent  or  teacher  to  become  habitually 
impressed  with  good  intentions." 

I  had  listened  closely  to  this  discourse  which  the 
excellent  man  set  forth  with  an  earnestness  of  man- 
ner that  compelled  respect,  but  here  interrupted  him : 

"All  this,  Jasper,  is  exceedingly  interesting  to 
me,  and  I  am  not  inclined  to  express  any  personal 
objection ;  but  some  of  our  doctrinarians  in  psychol- 
ogy would  try  to  indicate  certain  fallacies  in  your 
statement,  on  the  score  of  parental  impression,  or 
what  is  termed  the  persistence  of  acquired  habit. 
They  are  not  all  agreed,  however,  on  this  point,  by 
any  means.  From  my  own  observations,  not  very 
extensive,  it  must  be  admitted,  I  am  inclined  to 
think  that  your  views  are  well  founded.  Nature 
with  us  Northerners  does  not  have  a  fair  chance  in 

ICO 


the  development  of  children ;  they  are  hedged  in,  es- 
pecially as  regards  our  city  life,  with  too  many  arti- 
ficial limitations;  I  cannot  help  rejoicing  in  the 
happy  successes  of  your  methods." 

We  were  now  entering  the  grounds  of  my  host ; 
Stella  was  upon  the  broad  veranda  and  ran  out  to 
us,  giving  one  hand  to  her  father  and  the  other  to 
me  as  we  alighted. 

"Dinner  is  all  ready,  father  Bruce  and  cousin  Mal- 
colm," she  cried ;  "come  right  in." 

So  it  would  appear  that  I  had  been  already  adopt- 
ed into  relationship  with  the  Oudemonites.  We  fol- 
lowed the  girl  in,  and  sat  down  to  the  inviting  re- 
past. 


lOI 


CHAPTER  VI. 

AN  EXCURSION  WITH  THE  YOUNG  FOLKS. 

My  four-pawed  valet  brought  me  a  slip  of  paper 
on  which  was  written:  "Perhaps  our  friend  Mal- 
colm would  like  to  go  with  a  party  of  us  young  folks 
up  to  Lake  Dorad  this  afternoon,  at  two  of  his  time, 
fourteen  of  ours.  If  so,  will  he  be  at  the  great  tulip 
tree  then?    Willis  is  going,  and  mother.      Stella." 

Fourteen  hours  (o'clock)  found  me  at  the  tree  des- 
ignated, in  the  midst  of  a  company  of  lively  young 
people.  I  was  armed,  like  most  of  the  others,  with 
a  light,  steel-pointed  rod  about  three  feet  long;  at 
least,  the  metal  looked  like  steel  well  polished.  Some 
had  covered  kettles  of  bright  metal,  also.  We  set 
off  on  foot,  pursuing  a  northeasterly  direction,  and 
after  a  tramp  of  nearly  four  miles,  most  agreeably 
varied  by  the  merry  talk  and  song  of  the  girls  and 
boys,  we  arrived  at  the  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  the 
bottom  of  which  shone  with  a  yellowish  sand  and 
suggested  its  name.  There  were  small  boats  lying 
inshore,  and  I  assumed  that  the  pointed  rods  we  car- 
ried were  for  fishing  purposes.  But  no;  plunging 
Into  a  belt  of  forest,  their  use  became  very  soon  man- 
ifest. One  of  the  boys  beckoned  to  me  and  cried : 
"Malcolm,  I  will  show  you  how."     I  followed  him 

1 02 


to  a  tall  tree  with  a  thick,  soft-looking  bark  and 
broad,  fleshy  leaves  of  great  length.  Scratching  the 
bark  cross-wise  with  the  point,  a  milk-like  sap  soon 
began  to  ooze  out.  Taking  my  rod  he  drove  it  into 
the  stem  a  little  above  the  scratches  and  then  hung 
his  kettle  so  that  it  would  catch  the  falling  sap.  In 
a  few  minutes  the  exudation  had  increased  to  a  little 
stream. 

"Tree  milk,  Malcolm;  it  is  becoming  best  now. 
Later  it  is  thicker,  but  makes  good  jelly  and  gum. 
Try  it,  if  you  please,"  handing  me  a  spoon.  The 
taste  was  pleasant,  much  like  goat's  milk  but  thicker 
in  consistency,  would  bear  thinning  with  water  to 
double  the  quantity,  and  be  an  excellent  accompani- 
ment for  bread  and  cakes;  its  nutritive  value  ap- 
peared to  be  higher  than  our  cow's  milk.  Leaving 
"my  tree,"  I  joined  others  in  the  quest  of  the  maca- 
ruba,  as  they  called  it;  and  when  all  the  pails  were 
in  place  we  took  to  the  boats  and  paddled  on  the 
transparent  water.  In  the  golden  depths  many  fishes 
were  visible,  darting  to  and  fro  or  lazily  suspended 
in  mid-element.  They  did  not  appear  to  be  timid  or 
disturbed  by  our  presence,  but  moved  about  in  evi- 
dent unconcern,  displaying  their  graceful  forms  to 
advantage  in  the  sunshine.  The  lake  was  a  favorite 
resort  for  the  people  of  the  neighboring  districts. 
In  the  woodland  surrounding  it  there  were  numer- 
ous pavilions  and  benches,  and  the  ground  surface, 
clear  of  underbrush,  was  carpeted  with  a  thick,  low- 
growing  sod.    Here  and  there,  along  the  margin  of 

103 


the  water,  graceful  palms  swept  low,  and  laurels 
and  crotons  lent  their  variety  to  beautify  the  scene. 
Hundreds  of  birds  sprang  about  in  the  branches, 
twittering  and  singing  in  every  key.  They,  too, 
like  the  fishes,  betrayed  no  fear  of  us,  and  gave 
abundant  opportunity  to  study  their  plumage  and 
form.  Allured  by  the  beauty  of  the  grove,  I  strolled 
off  by  myself,  culling  here  and  there  a  flower,  study- 
ing for  a  little  a  tree  or  plant  new  and  strange,  or 
listening  to  the  notes  of  a  bird  in  a  neighboring 
bush. 

The  innocent  naturalness  of  these  young  folks 
had  an  unexpected  illustration  here ;  for  while  saun- 
tering about  I  chanced  upon  a  little  maid  of  ten  or 
eleven  years  readjusting  her  hose,  which  had  slipped 
from  its  attachment.  My  appearance  did  not  even 
startle  her.  Looking  up  smilingly,  she  continued 
pulling  at  the  disorderly  stocking,  with  her  light 
skirt  drawn  high  up  about  her  waist,  and  the  white, 
rounded  limb  in  full  exposure.  Of  course,  I  smiled, 
in  response  to  her,  and  passed  on,  the  incident  sug- 
gesting some  reflections  upon  the  beautiful  confi- 
dence shown  by  a  pure  young  heart  in  a  stranger; 
and  yet  in  the  light  of  what  Bruce  had  told  me  of 
their  mode  of  training  and  habits  the  girl's  conduct 
was  only  what  was  to  be  expected.  She  had  with- 
drawn from  her  young  associates  to  correct  the  dis- 
orderly part  of  her  dress,  a  proper  act  and  prompted 
by  her  judgment.  Toward  me,  who  had  chanced 
upon  her  retreat  in  the  midst  of  "putting  herself  to 

104 


rights,"  she  doubtless  felt  for  the  moment  as  if  in 
the  presence  of  her  father. 

IN  nature's  walks. 

Outside  the  circle  of  woodland  I  noted  cultivated 
tracts  extending  radially,  not  arranged  in  the  for- 
mal geometric  manner  of  our  fruit  and  grain  fields, 
but  broken  with  groups  of  trees  and  parterres  of 
flowering  plants  and  trellises  of  vine.  There  were 
numerous  brooks  running  to  and  from  the  lake,  with 
light  bridges  of  the  rustic  sort,  in  many  cases  so  en- 
meshed with  vines  that  the  framework  was  shroud- 
ed from  view.  Here  were  fruit  palms,  fig  trees, 
banana  circles,  laurel  pears,  the  custard  apple,  cher- 
ries, guava  nut,  vanilla  and  cinnamon  shrubs,  with 
their  variety  of  foliage,  besides  myrtle,  cactus  and 
water  plants  laden  with  bloom,  and  breathing  around 
rich  perfume.  Several  patches  of  magueys  enlisted 
close  attention,  so  large  were  they ;  the  great,  flower- 
ing stems  promising  a  later  maturity  of  remarkable 
richness.  This  Dorado  park  seemed  to  me  an  ideal 
realized  of  what  a  small  park  should  be,  beautiful  in 
its  arrangement  and  useful  in  many  ways  far  be- 
yond any  public  ground  or  garden  I  had  seen  in  my 
own  or  foreign  countries.  Every  section  or  district 
in  Oudemon  had  such  a  park,  which  served  not  only 
as  a  place  of  semi-wild  recreation  for  the  people,  but 
as  a  field  for  horticultural  and  arboreal  experiment. 

Stella,  Willis  and  mother  Bruce,  or  Milline,  as  I 
should  say,  gave  me  not  a  little  data  regarding  the 

105 


trees,  plants  and  vines,  being  highly  pleased  by  my 
enthusiastic  interest.  One  crescentic  bed  of  a  shrub- 
by growth  that  reminded  me  of  the  coffee  plants  I 
had  seen  on  my  route  through  Peru,  they  told  me, 
produced  the  berry  of  which  their  common  breakfast 
drink  was  prepared.  It  was  an  improved  species  of 
coffee,  not  unlike  the  coffee  of  our  Northern  tables 
in  appearance ;  but  it  had  no  narcotic  element,  was  a 
pleasant,  exhilarating  beverage  with  a  delightful  aro- 
matic flavor.  In  combination  with  the  wheat  bis- 
cuit, corn  muffins,  bread  fruit,  guava  or  fig  sauce 
usually  on  the  table  this  made  the  morning  repast  all 
that  I  desired.  The  variety  of  vegetable,  nut  and 
fruit  products,  as  spread  in  these  experimental  beds, 
seemed  unlimited. 

"I  do  not  wonder  that  you  Oudemonians  are  not 
given  to  flesh  eating,"  was  my  remark  as  my  eyes 
glanced  over  these  prolific  fields.  "You  are  so 
richly  supplied  with  the  most  nutritive  of  food  ma- 
terial that  animal  stuff  must  seem  not  only  unneces- 
sary but  poor  in  comparison." 

"Yes,"  said  Milline,  "very  few  of  us  have  a  dis- 
position to  touch  animal  food.  There  are  some  who 
still  harbor  the  old  hunting  spirit  of  their  Scottish 
or  Canadian  ancestors;  they  indulge  it  by  catching 
fish  occasionally  and  eating  them.  Some  of  us,  too, 
have  a  fancy  for  fowls,  mainly  for  their  eggs.  But 
I  believe  that  in  another  generation  there  will 
scarcely  be  found  one  in  our  country  whose  practice 
will  not  be  essentially  that  of  the  vegetarian." 

1 06 


"If  I  should  live  with  you,  Milline,  be  sure  that 
my  carnivorous  instinct  would  shrivel  up  in  a  month 
or  two,  and  I  should  become  one  of  your  most  de- 
voted plant  eaters." 

I  was  permitted,  nay  encouraged,  to  pluck  such 
flow^ers  as  struck  my  fancy,  and  I  made  up  a  con- 
siderable bunch  of  orange  and  shell  flow^ers,  min- 
gling them  for  color  with  two  or  three  species  of 
pink,  blue  and  crimson  geraniums  that  I  had  never 
before  seen,  'My  example  was  imitated  by  many  of 
the  young  people,  and  the  care  and  taste  they  ex- 
hibited in  taking  the  blossoms  from  the  plants  elicit- 
ed my  open  approval.  There  was  no  reckless  tramp- 
ling upon  the  neatly  raked  beds,  or  rough  tearing 
from  the  stem  the  specimens  desired.  My  compli- 
mentary reference  to  their  discretion,  however, 
seemed  lost  upon  them. 

One  of  the  party  blew  a  soft,  flute-like  note  three 
or  four  times — evidently  a  signal — and  Willis  said : 

"Mother  Milline,  it  is  time  to  set  about  return- 
ing. I  was  just  thinking  that  it  must  be  nearly  sev- 
enteen hours.  You  see  the  sun  is  dropping  on  the 
ridge." 

We  w^ent  to  our  macarubas  and  found  the  pails 
nearly  full.  After  taking  dow^n  the  scratchers  a  lit- 
tle pressure  wuth  their  smooth  butts  against  the  soft 
bark  quite  closed  the  cuts  and  stopped  the  flowing 
juice.  So,  laden  with  the  spoil  of  our  outing,  we 
returned  a  merry,  jocund  group,  to  our  different 
homes. 

107 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  CHARMING  ACQUAINTANCE. 

While  dressing  next  morning  I  heard  voices  in 
the  court  below,  and  glancing  through  a  window 
saw  a  tall  and  graceful  young  woman  in  lively  chat 
with  Stella  and  Willis.  The  latter  looked  up  and 
caught  me  still  at  my  window,  and  called :  "Come 
down,  Malcolm,  soon ;  I  think  you  will  like  to  know 
our  Ellice,  She  is  waiting  to  see  you."  Quickly 
looking  up,  the  visitor  saw  me  there  tying  my  neck 
scarf,  and  smiled.  The  window  was  wide  open,  and 
being  low  my  deshabille  of  trousers  and  neglige  shirt 
was  visible  in  part.  I  had,  in  fact,  adopted  for  the 
most  the  dress  of  the  men  around  me,  as  best  suited 
to  the  mellow  climate,  and  comfort  and  vanity 
aside,  I  was  quite  convinced,  after  a  little  trial  and 
the  approval  of  Stella,  that  my  personal  appearance 
suffered  no  deterioration  by  the  comfortable  change. 
Finishing  my  dressing  in  a  few  minutes,  I  went 
down  into  the  court. 

"I  am  right  glad  to  meet  you,  Malcolm,"  said  the 
newcomer,  and  I  responded :  "Thanking  you.  Mile. 
Ellice,  I  heartily  say  'A  happy  meeting.'  " 

At  the  breakfast  table  Bruce  remarked : 

"I  learn  from  our  folks,  Malcolm,  that  you  are 
fond  of  flowers,  plants,  and  so  on  ?" 

io8 


"Certainly  I  am,  mine  host  much  respected,  al- 
though there  has  been  little  time  at  home  for  their 
cultivation.  To  have  a  conservatory  at  some  time 
has  been  one  of  my  ambitions.  But  since  I  have  seen 
what  you  have  of  garden  and  park  my  hopes  have 
sunk,  for  anything  like  the  enchanting  specimens 
here  would  be  the  despair  of  our  florists." 

"Very  complimentary  to  those  of  Oudemon;  yet 
with  our  climate  and  soil  we  should  do  well.  I  was 
going  to  say  that  our  Ellice  is  quite  a  scholar  in  the 
botany  of  the  country ;  she  has  explored  a  good  part 
of  it  herself,  and  prepared  a  large  herbarium  which 
it  would  please  you  to  see." 

The  young  woman  thus  mentioned  added :  "If 
you  will  come  to  our  house  this  afternoon,  Malcolm, 
I  will  show  you  my  preparations.  In  the  morning 
I  am  at  the  school." 

I  bowed  my  acknowledgments  with  "Certainly, 
I  should  be  delighted." 

"Ellice  teaches  the  nature  and  uses  of  plants  and 
vegetables  to  the  children,"  said  mother  Bruce. 

"I  infer  that  you  include  their  food  values,  and 
also  their  applications  in  a  medicinal  sense.  Madam 
Bruce.  By  the  way,  I  suppose  you  have  lady  doc- 
tors as  well  as  ourselves?" 

Milline  looked  at  me  almost  benevolently.  "Well, 
]\IaIcolm,  we  have  not  much  use  for  doctors,  as  you 
know  them.     Our  people  live  so  naturally " 

"And  intelligently,"  I  interrupted  with  a  depre- 
cating gesture. 

109 


" As  you  please,  my  good  boy — that  we  do 

not  require  the  attention  of  one  highly  skilled  in 
so  called  medical  remedies  often.  Our  families 
generally  know  the  virtues  of  those  plants  consid- 
ered valuable  in  sickness,  and  such  little  ailments  as 
may  afifect  us  are  easily  managed.  But  we  have 
chemists  and  earnest  students  who  are  well  informed 
on  many  points  of  the  physician's  business,  and  in 
accidents  of  a  serious  nature,  or  emergencies,  when 
they  occur,  we  apply  to  them." 

"Then  accidents  are  rare  among  you  ?  Your  sim- 
ple, regular  ways,  your  entire  lack  of  the  rush  and 
whirl  of  advanced  civilization,  no  railways  gridiron- 
ing  your  fields  and  roads,  no  runaway  horses  or 
surly  dogs,  no  uncertain-tempered  men  with  oppor- 
tunities to  become  frenzied  with  poisonous  drinks, 
no  steam  pipes  in  your  walls  to  burst  and  mangle 
your  bodies,  no  electric  maze  of  wire  to  threaten 
you  with  sudden  death  or  life-long  paralysis.  What 
a  blessed  absence  of  risk  to  life  and  limb!  But  ac- 
cidents occur  in  the  best-regulated  society,  after  all ; 
what  then,  let  me  insist,  dear  hostess?" 

"Yes,  it  was  about  two  years  ago,  was  it  not,  hus- 
band Jasper,  that  Leslie  Scott  was  injured  by  the 
falling  of  a  stone  when  they  were  building  the  tower 
in  district  eighteen?" 

"Yes ;  an  oversight  on  his  part  in  leveling.  The 
stone  fell  from  the  wall  and  fractured  his  knee.  He 
has  carried  a  stiff  joint  ever  since.  Accidents,  how- 
ever, as  our  Milline  tells  you,  Malcolm,  are  rare,  and 

no 


by  reason  of  our  uncomplicated  life  and  deliberate 
habits.  I  suppose  that  you  would  be  disposed  to 
nudge  our  would-be  doctors  and  surgeons  on  the 
score  of  lacking  practice,  but  they  study  your  treat- 
ises and  try  to  be  ready  for  the  unexpected." 

"And  I've  no  doubt  they  are  as  successful  in  their 
treatment  of  the  unexpected  as  our  doctors  are." 

Turning  to  my  newest  acquaintance,  I  said : 

"Mile.  Preceptor,  I  shall  be  at  your  house  this 
afternoon  at  the  fourteenth,  fifteenth  or  sixteenth 
hour,  as  you  may  name." 

"Let  me  call  for  you  as  I  pass.  Monsieur  Mal- 
colm?" 

Nearly  three  delightful  hours  were  spent  with  the 
young  botanist.  Claiming  no  skill  in  such  a  line,  I 
knew  enough  regarding  flowers  to  appreciate  her 
sprightly  description  of  the  many  species  in  her  col- 
lection, and  in  answer  to  questions  regarding  plants 
like  the  rose,  gladiolus,  caladium,  begonia,  chrysan- 
themum, as  grown  in  the  North,  found  myself  able 
to  give  her  points  she  desired  to  obtain.  At  the  end 
I  took  supper  with  the  Denton  family.  It  was  a 
goodly  tableful — ten  persons,  old  and  young,  and 
all  related.  Ellice  was  the  third  in  order  of  five  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  were  yet  at  home ;  a  brother  two 
years  older,  married  but  a  few  years,  was  living  in 
the  family  of  his  father-in-law,  as  was  the  common 
practice,  until  circumstances  favored  the  establish- 
ment of  an  independent  abode.  Percy  Denton, 
younger  by  tliree  years  than  Ellice,  interested  me 

III 


with  some  account  of  the  family  relations  of  the  dis- 
trict and  the  social  usages.  In  a  gentle,  bantering 
vein  he  referred  to  his  sister's  spinsterhood  as  a  con- 
dition not  so  much  of  her  own  particular  choice  as 
''one  of  uncertainty,  after  the  manner  of  classic 
Penelope."  We  all  laughed  merrily,  Ellice  joining, 
with  a  cheek  flushing  slightly.  Taking  up  the  broth- 
er's allusion,  I  ventured: 

"May  not  the  young  lady's  dilemma  be  that  of 
the  filial  Antigone,  rather  than  that  of  the  perplexed 
semi-widow  of  the  Trojan  warrior?"  and  was  re- 
warded by  a  sweet  smile  from  the  girl. 

"Daughter  is  old  enough,  if  I  remember  her  age," 
observed  Denton  senior,  "but  I'm  half  disposed  to 
think  there's  some  fairy  prince  in  the  woods  she 
meets  when  out  on  her  supposed  collecting  excur- 
sions." 

"Yes,  dear  father  mine,"  returned  the  girl,  in  the 
same  humor,  "don't  be  at  all  surprised  when  I  bring 
him  home  some  day."  Looking  at  me  as  she  said 
this,  her  lively  features  aglow  with  the  frank  ex- 
pression of  hearty,  complete  womanhood,  I  could 
not  but  confess  to  a  thrill  of  pleasure  quite  unusual. 
Symmetrical  and  full  in  development,  clear  and 
fresh  in  complexion,  with  large  brown  eyes  under  a 
fringe  of  rich  brown  lashes,  a  wealth  of  soft  wavy 
hair  in  which  there  was  just  enough  of  auburn  to 
imprint  a  glow,  and  full  red  lips  that  suggested  a 
readiness  of  response  to  tenderness  and  affection, 
Ellice  was  indeed  a  charming  type  of  the  perfect 

112 


Avoman,  every  way  desirable  for  the  wife  and  com- 
panion of  a  noble,  cultured  man.  Such  reflections 
coursed  unbidden  in  my  mind,  and  were  probably 
expressed  in  the  prolonged  gaze  that  I  could  not 
help,  for  a  smile  parted  her  lips,  revealing  the  per- 
fect teeth,  and  her  eyes  dropped  as  if  to  consider  the 
marmalade  and  biscuit  upon  the  plate  before  her. 


"3 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  PRACTICAL  EXAMPLE  OF  DOMESTIC  MEDICINE. 

The  good  fellowship  existing  among  the  children 
of  Oudemon  was  not  lost  w4th  their  growth  into 
maturity.  Encouraged  to  believe  in  equality  of 
right  and  privilege  in  tender  years,  both  sexes  ad- 
vanced toward  manhood  and  womanhood  wath  feel- 
ing and  convictions  of  mutual  sincerity  and  respect. 
The  women  were  robust  and  vigorous  in  body,  as 
similar  opportunity  was  given  for  their  education 
and  culture  physically,  and  their  natural  readiness 
made  them  very  nearly  the  peers  of  the  men  intel- 
lectually. 

The  father  of  a  family  was  recognized  as  its  nat- 
ural head,  yet  so  much  deference  was  given  the 
mother  that  it  was  difficult  for  me  to  decide  whose 
opinion  was  really  paramount.  There  was  no  bald 
exhibition  of  authority  or  mastership  in  administer- 
ing home  affairs;  sympathy,  affection,  forbearance 
seemed  the  ever-present  influences  and  character- 
ized the  policy  or  usage  generally  observed  in  the 
affairs  of  the  community  at  large.  Indeed,  it  ap- 
peared to  me  that  the  aggregate  population  ex- 
pressed, with  an  emphasis,  the  prevailing  sentiment 
of  the  family.     At  first  I  took  it  for  granted  that 

114 


these  people  in  my  presence  were  "on  their  good  be- 
havior," and  things  were  too  nice  to  last,  but  it  soon 
became  apparent  that  their  conduct  was  the  natural 
outcome  of  established  habit,  the  unaffected  obedi- 
ence to  normal  sentiments  that  were  ingrown  with 
their  development.  I  was  witness  to  discussions 
where  opinions  differed  and  warmth  of  manner  was 
displayed;  yet  the  majesty  of  their  "Royal  Law" 
overruled  the  exhibition  of  temper.  In  the  council, 
as  Bruce  had  said,  a  vote  upon  any  matter  or  "show 
of  hands"  was  rare,  but  if  it  were  taken  the  minority 
at  once  consented  to  the  result,  as  the  wiser  course. 

"We  try  to  do  the  best  with  what  light  we  have," 
ventured  Marcus  to  me  at  the  close  of  a  meeting 
when  more  than  usual  feeling  had  been  manifested 
by  one  or  two  members,  "but  human  nature  in  its 
best  estate  is  human,  you  know,  Malcolm,  and  mis- 
takes are  made." 

"What,  then,  my  venerable  friend?" 

"We  set  about  correcting  them  as  far  as  possible. 
Just  as  the  operation  of  a  bad  law  will  instruct  your 
legislators  in  regard  to  what  is  required,  so  we  can 
learn  from  our  mistakes  what  could  scarcely  be  ob- 
tained in  any  other  way." 

The  hearty,  generous  naturalness  of  these  people 
was  illustrated  at  times  in  a  way  that  proved  a  little 
embarrassing  to  a  man  with  Northern  notions  of 
etiquette.  Although  possessing  a  good  constitution, 
I  had  a  rather  sensitive  stomach,  which  sometimes 
gave  me  not  a  little  pain.     The  change  of  diet  ex- 

115 


perienced  on  entering  Oudemon  and  embracing  its 
life,  despite  the  excellence  of  the  food,  brought  on 
occasional  attacks  of  a  colicky  nature  during  the  first 
two  or  three  weeks.  The  fruits  served  at  table  and 
for  lunch  when  out  on  excursions  were  too  tempt- 
ing, and  I  did  not  exercise  sufficient  discretion  in 
eating  things  that  were  new  to  my  palate.  The  dis- 
turbances came  on  at  night,  usually,  and  made  sleep 
for  the  time  impossible.  I  had  brought  some  reme- 
dies for  such  troubles  in  my  valise,  and  managed  to 
treat  myself  with  a  degree  of  success.  At  home 
two  or  three  severe  experiences  had  suggested  possi- 
ble trouble  in  that  superfluous  part  of  the  human  in- 
testinal economy  called  the  appendix,  and  I  had  for  a 
year  meditated  consulting  a  surgeon.  One  night 
following  a  long  excursion  with  the  Bruces,  father 
and  son,  I  had  scarcely  fallen  asleep  when  I  was 
seized  with  so  keen  a  pain  that  in  my  half- waking 
state  I  must  have  groaned  unconsciously  aloud.  The 
next  minute  a  light  tapping  was  heard  at  the  door- 
way of  my  room. 

"Yes,"  I  said. 

"May  I  come  in?"  It  was  Willis  who  pushed  aside 
the  light  hangings,  and  came  to  the  bed,  where  I  sat 
up,  rubbing  the  painful  side. 

"You  are  suffering,  Malcolm.  I  will  send  moth- 
er to  you."  Before  I  could  interpose  an  objection 
he  was  out  of  the  room,  and  soon  returned  with  Mil- 
line,  clothed  in  a  loose  garment  of  dainty  fashion, 
evidently  her  bed  costume,  following  him. 

ii6 


"Oh,  I  am  sorry,"  exclaimed  I,  with  some  vehe- 
mence, "that  you  have  got  up,  Mrs. — MilHne.  I  can 
manage  it.  Only  a  colic.  Too  many  nuts  and  tam- 
arinds!— and  I  overate  at  supper;  I  was  very  hun- 
gry." 

"But,  Malcolm,  you  are  in  great  pain.  I  know  it 
by  your  breathing  and  posture,"  replied  the  excellent 
woman.  "Lie  down  now,  and  let  me  see  wliat  is 
the  matter."  This  so  soothingly  and  gently  that  I 
stretched  myself  upon  the  bed — perhaps  a  little  re- 
gardless of  appearances,  for  the  pain  was  intense. 

"In  my  satchel  you  will  find  two  or  three  bottles ; 
please  to  bring  them  to  me,"  I  muttered  between 
gasps. 

Seating  herself  by  the  bed,  this  dear  woman  com- 
menced to  rub  my  abdomen  with  great  tenderness, 
saying:  "Willis,  you  know  the  herb  bags  in  the 
dark  pantry ;  bring  me  No.  6  and  some  hot  water  as 
soon  as  you  can,  and  the  elastic  syringe.  This  might 
prove  serious,  if  permitted  to  go  on.  My  grand- 
father had  similar  spells.  Now  let  me  do  what  I 
can  for  you,  my  boy." 

My  bowels  seemed  tied  up  in  a  knot,  and  quiv- 
ered as  the  agonizing  twinges  swept  through  them. 
IMilline  kept  at  work  with  her  gentle  hands,  sweep- 
ing along  the  corded  lines,  meanwhile  talking  to  me 
like  a  fond  mother  to  a  son.  Willis  came  in  seven 
or  eight  minutes  with  the  articles  required,  and  at 
Milline's  direction  placed  a  large  handful  of  leaves 
from  the  bag  in  a  soft  towel,  folded  it  and  steeped 

"7 


the  cushion-like  mass  in  the  hot  water.  Now  came 
the  especially  embarrassing  part  to  me.  Milline  had 
been  manipulating  my  abdomen  over  my  night  wrap ; 
but  taking  the  steaming  cushion  from  Willis  she 
deftly  uncovered  my  right  side  and  laid  it  snugly 
upon  the  painful  part,  and  over  the  compress  ad- 
justed a  dry  napkin.  Then,  covering  me  with  the 
bed  spread,  she  said : 

"Now,  Malcolm,  boy,  I  think  you  will  feel  bet- 
ter in  a  little  while.  If  not,  please  speak,  won't 
you  ?  and  we  will  try  something  more.  You  are  our 
friend  and  we  must  do  all  we  can  to  make  you  well. 
When  you  get  up  to-morrow  morning  use  the 
syringe.  The  water  in  the  pitcher  will  do.  You 
know  how  ?" 

"Yes,  my  dear  Milline  thank  you."  I  had  suf- 
fered so  much  that  in  the  reaction  that  followed  the 
almost  instant  relief  of  the  fomentation  some  tears 
would  force  themselves  to  my  cheek.  Milline  saw 
them,  for,  with  a  most  tender  expression  on  her  face, 
she  touched  her  lips  to  my  forehead  and  then  left 
the  room. 

Soothed  by  this  most  unlooked-for  treatment,  the 
sweet  aroma  of  the  damp  leaves  pervading  the  room, 
I  fell  into  a  deep  sleep,  and  on  awaking  in  the  broad 
light  of  morning  found  Willis  and  Stella  at  my  bed- 
side. 

"You  are  better,  Malcolm,"  both  exclaimed  as  I 
opened  my  eyes. 


ii8 


"Yes,  quite  restored,  cousins,  thanks  to  your  angel 
mother." 

"Oh,  mother  knows  how  to  manage  such  things, 
I  can  tell  you,"  quoth  Willis.  "Now  you  will  take 
the  other  treatment  she  advised,  of  course" — the 
young  fellow  detected  an  expression  of  dissent  in  my 
face — "you  must  complete  the  treatment.  You  can 
give  me  the  towels  to  take  down.  If  you  want  I 
will  rub  you." 

"Very  kind  of  you,  my  dear  boy,  but  I  feel  quite 
myself;  that  compress  was  magical.  Mother  Mil- 
line  must  give  me  some  of  the  leaves  or  tell  me 
where  to  find  them." 

"Certainly,  cousin  Malcolm,  we  know  where  they 
grow,  for  Stella  and  I  collect  them." 

"Well,  now,  I  will  use  the  syringe,  and  dress,  and 
be  down  with  you  soon." 

"Don't  hurry  yourself,  Malcolm,  it  isn't  late," 
and  Stella  danced  out  of  the  room,  Willis  follow- 
ing. The  charming  confidence  of  these  young  peo- 
ple in  the  wisdom  of  their  mother,  evidenced  by  their 
insistence  upon  my  following  her  suggestion,  sim- 
ple enough  in  itself,  affected  me  deeply. 


119 


CHAPTER  IX. 

AN  EMBARRASSING  EMERGENCY, 

Another  instance  that  tested  my  Northern 
squeamishness  even  more  occurred  on  an  excursion 
with  Ellice.  Presuming  that  the  male  reader,  like 
myself,  is  of  old  British  stock,  he  will  appreciate 
the  difference  in  the  circumstances  between  a  mother 
of  well-grown  children  and  a  charming  young  wom- 
an yet  unmarried.  Ellice  and  I  had  taken  a  run  on 
my  goalone,  about  fifteen  miles,  into  a  lower  district 
abounding  with  streams.  The  flower-richness  of 
the  region  seemed  even  greater  than  I  had  noted  in 
other  districts,  and  wild  plants  were  more  common. 
ElHce  was  attired  in  her  tramping  costume,  resem- 
bling in  pattern  the  tourist  dress  of  our  athletic  la- 
dies; for  instance,  a  loose  waist  of  soft  yellow, 
trimmed  with  olive  ribbon,  a  short  skirt  of  silvery 
gray,  semi-Turkish  leggings  of  darker  gray  clasp- 
ing the  ankles  in  graceful  folds  and  shoes  of  yellow 
canvas,  in  the  moccasin  style,  well  fitting  her  strong 
yet  by  no  means  large  feet. 

The  tout  ensemble  was  very  becoming  and  per- 
fectly suitable  for  the  purpose  in  view.  I  should  say 
that  the  men  of  Oudemon  were  old-fashioned,  in 
that  they  generally  wore  short  trousers  belted  or 

1 20 


buckled  under  the  knee,  with  long  stockings  and 
moccasins,  and  while  in  the  country  I  preferred  the 
costume  myself,  wearing  an  outfit  given  me  by  Wil- 
lis soon  after  my  arrival.  The  trousers  and  blouse 
were  of  mixed  pattern,  in  which  gray  and  blue  were 
the  dominant  colors,  with  slight  splashes  of  maroon. 
The  moccasins  were  a  dark  tan,  with  straps  that  se- 
cured them  firmly  to  the  feet  by  means  of  "bronze" 
buckles ;  that  is,  the  bronze  made  by  the  metal  work- 
ers of  the  country.  Being  of  good  height  and  fairly 
proportioned,  I  did  not  consider  myself  an  ill-look- 
ing fellow  in  the  new  garments.  Made  by  an  Oude- 
mon  tailoress,  the  fit  was  admirable.  The  fabric, 
strong  and  light  in  weight,  possessed  a  singular  elas- 
ticity that  rendered  every  movement  perfectly  free ; 
bending  or  stooping  there  was  no  feeling  of  the 
slightest  restraint. 

Leaving  our  vehicle  by  a  clump  of  laurel,  we 
pushed  into  a  meadow  thick  with  grasses  and  flow- 
ers, seeking  a  plant  of  which  Ellice  desired  further 
specimens.  Coming  to  a  brook  about  fifteen  feet 
wide,  my  companion  saw  on  the  farther  side  what 
seemed  to  be  an  example  of  the  species. 

"Malcolm,  there  it  is,  I  believe — and  in  the  bud, 
as  I  want  it.    We'll  cross." 

"There  is  no  bridge  hereabouts  that  I  can  see, 
Ellice,  and  the  water  is  quite  deep." 

"Perhaps  we  can  get  over  easily  a  little  above," 
the  girl  rejoined,  and  directed  her  steps  upstream. 
I  followed.     Going  some  forty  yards,  we  came  to  a 

121 


point  where  the  brook  widened  and  ran  over  a  shal- 
low, gravelly  bed.  Here  it  was  not  more  than  a  foot 
deep,  seemingly,  anywhere. 

"We  can  cross  now,  Malcolm,  without  any  trou- 
ble." Dropping  the  reed  basket  she  carried,  the  girl 
began  to  remove  her  shoes.  Of  course  I  followed 
the  example,  although  sensitive  about  showing  my 
feet  to  a  lady.  However,  it  was  mere  reciprocity. 
The  shoes  off,  the  stockings  followed,  and  then  the 
leggings  were  tucked  up  close  to  the  knee,  display- 
ing, to  my  sidelong  look,  a  pair  of  ankles  that  would 
be  the  pride  of  most  of  our  city  belles.  I  will  con- 
fess that  my  movements  were  slower  than  hers ;  yet 
I  was  soon  by  her  side,  with  my  knickers  pushed 
above  the  knee.  Springing  into  the  rippling  water, 
she  led  the  way,  and  we  were  soon  at  the  spot  where 
the  plant  was  growing.  After  examining  it  with 
some  comment  it  was  gathered,  and  the  vicinity 
scanned  for  other  specimens,  but  none  of  this  par- 
ticular sort  were  to  be  found.  Recrossing,  I  took 
the  lead,  and  was  about  to  step  upon  the  bank  when 
an  exclamation  of  surprise  or  pain  caused  me  to 
turn  quickly. 

Leaping  upon  the  bank  by  my  side,  she  pointed  to 
her  right  leg.  "Something  has  bitten  me  there, 
Malcolm."  A  few  inches  above  the  ankle,  where  the 
limb  expands  with  its  muscular  fulness,  was  a  leech- 
like creature.  Stooping  down,  I  snapped  it  off  with 
my  thumb. 

"I  wonder  if  it  is  poisonous,  Malcolm.     I  have 

122 


heard  that  there  were  such  things — ones  that  could 
do  harm," 

Crushing  the  animal  into  the  dry  gravel  with  the 
rod  I  carried,  I  said  : 

"Ellice,  girl,  what  shall  I  do?  Can  it  really  be 
serious  ?'* 

She  w^as  pale  and  made  no  answer.  Evidently 
there  was  something  serious  in  this  affair.  Taking 
her  by  the  hand,  we  walked  to  a  cluster  of  low 
palms,  where  there  was  a  little  hillock  in  their 
shade,  and  she  sat  down. 

"Let  me  examine  the  wound,  Ellice.  I  have  read 
of  such  things." 

She  stretched  out  the  foot.  "Look  and  see  if 
there  is  a  livid  ring  circling  the  bite." 

I  knelt  down  and  looked  closely  and  saw,  amid 
the  pink  surrounding,  a  blue  circle  with  a  small 
black  dot  in  the  centre. 

"There  is." 

"Then  it  must  be  the  poison  viper.     Let  us  get 

back  as  soon  as  we  can,  for "    The  words  failed 

her,  yet  as  I  gazed,  trembling  myself,  at  her,  she 
smiled  sweetly  as  if  her  words  were  half  in  jest. 

"Is  there  not  something  I  can  do  at  once — some 
herb  or  leaf  I  can  apply.  Surely,  dear  Ellice,  you 
are  so  skilful  in  these  things." 

She  was  evidently  growing  faint,  for  her  answer 
came  in  a  very  low  tone.  "It  is  so  long  since  any 
one  was  stung.  I  never  knew  any  one  who  was. 
We  thought  the  mongosta  had  destroyed  all  these 

123 


poisonous   things   long   ago.     I   am   feeling   weak, 
Malcolm." 

"I  am  so  sorry.  Oh,  what  can  I  do?"  I  really- 
felt  quite  unmanned.  All  my  usual  coolness  seemed 
to  have  left  me.  But  here  was  a  most  desperate 
strait.  I  would  pick  her  up  and  carry  her  to  the  go- 
alone.  But  it  would  be  more  than  a  good  hour's 
ride  to  her  home.  Then  it  occurred  to  me  that  life 
had  been  saved  by  sucking  the  poison  of  a  snake 
bite,  and  in  as  cheerful  a  tone  as  could  be  assumed 
I  cried :  "I  know  what  to  do,  Ellice.  Be  hopeful, 
for  my  sake." 

Taking  a  cup  from  her  basket,  I  rushed  to  the 
brook,  cleansed  my  mouth,  filled  the  cup  and  re- 
turned to  the  girl,  knelt  down  and  applied  my  lips 
to  the  small  wound.  The  touch  to  her  warm  flesh 
caused  a  tremor  that  I  felt,  but  she  said  nothing. 
That  there  was  something  of  great  power  in  the 
venom  of  that  viper,  or  whatever  it  was,  appeared 
clearly  enough  from  the  pungent  taste  that  I  imme- 
diately perceived.  Repeatedly  I  rinsed  my  mouth 
with  the  brook  water  and  continued  the  effort  to 
extract  the  poison  until  the  hot,  acrid  taste  had  dis- 
appeared and  the  livid  areola  gave  way  to  a  more 
natural  hue. 

One  of  the  more  valued  presents  of  my  mother 
w^as  a  small  silver  flask,  which  I  usually  carried  in  a 
side  pocket,  stocked  with  Jamaica  rum,  as  a  provi- 
sion against  recurrences  of  my  stomach  disorder. 
There  had  been  no  trouble  of  the  kind  since  the  time 

124 


when  Mother  Bruce  ministered  to  my  need,  yet  it 
was  deemed  prudent  to  be  provided  against  an  at- 
tack, especially  when  I  was  at  a  distance  from  home 
and  friends.  With  my  handkerchief  moistened 
freely  I  bathed  the  site  of  the  wound  with  the  alco- 
holic fluid,  and  bound  the  pocket  convenience  around 
the  leg.  Now  picking  up  her  stockings,  I  turned  to 
Ellice.  She  lay  back  upon  the  hillock,  with  her  eyes 
closed,  her  lips  parted  in  a  smile  of  evident  enjoy- 
ment. I  had  been  so  absorbed  in  my  extemporized 
surgery  that  scarcely  a  glance  was  given  to  her  face 
until  now. 

"Ellice,  may  I  help  you  to  put  on  your  stockings  ? 
And  are  you  not  feeling  better?" 

Starting  into  a  sitting  posture,  her  face  coloring 
richly,  she  said:  "Oh,  Malcolm,  yes  indeed,  I  am 
much  better.  I  was  really  frightened,  but  you  have 
saved  me.  We  could  scarcely  have  gotten  home  in 
time." 

Her  hands  trembled  as  she  reached  for  the  stock- 
ings, and  I  saw  that  she  was  by  no  means  the 
strong,  self-helpful  woman  of  a  little  while  before; 
so,  kneeling  down  again  by  those  dainty  feet,  I  as- 
sisted her  to  resume  stockings  and  moccasins. 

"This  is  not  the  first  time  you  have  helped  a  wom- 
an in  this  way,  I  am  sure,  Malcolm?" 

"No,  I  have  often  done  as  much  for  mother  when 
dressing." 

"Then  you  Americans  do  much  as  we  do — and 


125 


why  not  ?    Does  not  the  Royal  Law  command  all  to 
help  each  other?" 

"I  don't  know  exactly  what  your  Royal  Law 
commands,  Ellice,  but  according  to  my  ideas  o£ 
charity  and  common  humanity  men  and  women 
should  do  all  that  is  possible  for  each  other  in  a  sit- 
uation of  necessity." 

"Most  certainly,  my  dear  friend;  but  we  believe 
not  only  in  cases  of  necessity,  but  in  all  cases  where 
it  is  proper  and  acceptable  we  should  help  each 
other." 

"Then  here  is  my  arm,  brave  little  woman,  to  help 
you  to  the  wagon,"  I  responded,  with  a  light  laugh. 

Leaning  on  me,  she  walked  to  our  ready  convey- 
ance, and  soon,  with  more  speed  than  customary  in 
my  trips,  we  were  pushing  over  the  road  homeward. 
On  the  way  Ellice  said  little,  and  my  own  mind  and 
heart  were  full  of  reflections — thoughts  at  once  ten- 
der, apprehensive,  solicitous,  mingled  with  wonder- 
ing as  to  the  final  outcome  of  this  fairly  tragic  oc- 
currence and  its  efifect  upon  my  position  in  Oude- 
mon.  So  I  said  but  little  myself.  It  was  dawning 
upon  my  conviction  that  this  charming  woman  had 
already  taken  a  place  in  the  inner  recesses  of  my 
soul,  and  while  there  was  a  feeling  of  deep  pleasure 
in  such  conviction,  the  gravity  of  this  unexpected 
and  peculiar  relation  to  her  and  her  country  offered 
many  suggestions  that  were  both  puzzling  and  vex- 
atious to  a  sensitive  man  who  had  always  prided 
himself  on  living  above  suspicion. 

126 


Percy  Denton  was  trimming  the  shrubbery  in 
front  of  the  house  as  we  rode  in.  Jumping-  to  the 
ground  and  offering  my  hand  to  Ellice,  I  said  rather 
peremptorily : 

"Percy,  where  shall  I  find  one  of  your  doctors?" 

He  looked  at  me  sharply.     "Why,  Malcolm?" 

"Ellice  was  bitten  by  a' dangerous  animal  down 
in  the  field,  and  should  have  the  attention  of  a  skil- 
ful man  at  once." 

"Sister,  stay  in  the  goalone,"  said  the  young  man. 
She  had  not  alighted,  but  stood  up  with  her  hand  in 
mine.  Now  she  sat  down  again  upon  the  low  cush- 
ion, and  Percy,  handing  the  pruning  knife  to  me, 
added:  "Perhaps  you  would  like  to  try  your  hand 
on  these  bushes,  Malcolm,"  and  stepped  into  the  ve- 
hicle and  was  off. 

This  seemed  rather  abrupt,  but  the  young  man's 
concern  for  his  sister  warranted  informal  action; 
and  then,  too,  he  might  know  more  about  such 
things  as  bites  and  stings  than  myself.  I  was  using 
the  pruner  somewhat  listlessly  when  Father  Denton 
came  out,  followed  by  his  wife.  Turning  toward 
them  I  waited,  scarcely  knowing  what  to  say  until 
they  were  close  to  me. 

"You  have  been  unfortunate,  Malcolm." 

"Yes." 

"My  Helen  was  informed  by  Stella  an  hour  or 
more  ago — she  had  received  a  thought  from 
Ellice;  the  girl  can  send — that  she  was  hurt  and 
that  you  were  doing  all  in  your  power  for  her,  and 

127 


later  that  she  was  feeling  better.    We  knew  that  you 
would  return  as  soon  as  you  could." 

"  'Twas  as  you  say,  sir."  I  then  gave  an  account 
of  the  matter,  and  was  still  in  converse  with  the 
elderly  pair  when  the  brother  and  sister  returned.  In 
answer  to  their  earnest  inquiry  Ellice  answered : 

"Dear  parents,  I  am  much  better,  yet  must  own 
to  some  remaining  weakness.  Our  studious  friend 
Lewis  applied  the  extract  used  in  poisons,  but  we 
think  that  Malcolm  did  so  well  for  me  that  it  cannot 
be  long  before  I  shall  be  quite  myself." 

"Lewis  thinks  that  the  creature  is  one  of  those 
things  our  early  settlers  found  so  deadly,"  added 
Percy,  "and  which  we  supposed  had  been  quite  ex- 
terminated. But  father,  mother,  let  us  sit  down. 
Malcolm,  I  am  sure,  is  weary  enough." 

Ellice  had  dropped  upon  a  circular  bench  built 
around  the  stem  of  a  sweeping  tulip,  and  we  all  took 
seats  on  the  same. 

Breaking  silence  first,  I  said :  "Your  people  must 
have  had  very  dangerous  things  here  at  one  time,  as 
they  have  them  still  in  the  Amazon  country — snakes, 
insects,  vermin  of  one  kind  or  other;  but  the  mode 
of  culture  and  improvements  you  have  made  every- 
where have,  of  course,  cleared  the  land  of  the  pests." 

I  was  apprehensive  that  there  would  be  some  fur- 
ther reference  to  my  part  in  the  recent  matter,  and 
sought  by  this  remark  to  anticipate  what  might  be 
said.  As  there  was  no  immediate  rejoinder,  I  went 
on: 

128 


"With  us,  when  one  is  bitten,  or  stung,  or  poi- 
soned, it  is  the  practice  to  use  antiseptic  remedies. 
They  are  swallowed,  or,  what  is  considered  better, 
injected  into  the  skin.  We  have  antitoxics  of  vari- 
ous names  used  as  antidotes  in  the  diseases  and  fev- 
ers regarded  malignant,  and  for  affections  of  the 
skin,  and  so  on.  These  antitoxics  are,  for  the  most 
part,  extracts  of  the  poisons  or  germs  that  cause  the 
diseases.  It  is  claimed  that  by  their  use  in  certain 
solutions  or  attenuations  parasites  that  are  hostile 
to  human  health  can  be  destroyed  or  so  weakened 
that  men  have  a  better  chance  to  recover  from  sick- 
ness and  to  keep  well." 

"We  have  heard  of  your  methods,"  said  father 
Denton,  "and  some  of  our  chemists  have  experi- 
mented with  what  are  called  'cultures.'  The  old 
practice  of  inoculation,  familiar  enough  to  you,  is 
of  an  analogous  nature.  Our  people  early  got  the 
idea  that  living  simply  and  ordering  things  about 
them  in  a  decent  fashion  was  the  best  way  to  avoid 
sickness,  and  when  sick  to  get  well;  and  on  this 
line  they  have  practiced,  for  the  most  part." 

"And  with  most  excellent  results,  friend  Denton, 
as  I  have  already  seen.  You  need  no  antitoxic,  for 
with  your  hygiene  there  seems  to  be  no  medium,  as 
the  doctors  term  it,  for  poisonous  germs  to  thrive 
in.  I  have  yet  to  see  any  low,  marshy  land  or  stag- 
nant water  in  your  country." 

"No,  Malcolm,  our  system  of  drainage  and  soil 
improvement  has  effected  a  great  change  in  the  sur- 

129 


face  of  the  land.  Our  family  groups  are  separated 
enough — so  that  all  have  plenty  of  air  to  breathe  and 
room  to  think  and  work  in." 

"Taking  the  whole  area  into  account,"  interposed 
Percy,  "we  have  but  twenty-eight  persons  to  the 
square  mile — is  that  not  so,  father?" 

"About  right,  son." 

NATURAL  RESULTS  OF  PRUDENCE. 

"But  you  don't  mean  to  say,  brother  Denton,"  I 
asked,  "that  your  people  are  never  sick  ?" 

"No,  certainly,"  the  elder  replied,  with  a  laugh. 
"Some  are  not  as  strong  as  others,  and  then  we 
make  mistakes,  or  are  careless,  and  must  suffer  the 
consequences;  but  serious  illness  is  quite  rare.  The 
more  you  know  of  our  ways  of  life,  the  better  you 
will  understand  why  our  people  keep  in  health  and 
live  to  a  good  age." 

It  came  out  clearly  enough,  as  Denton  predicted, 
as  the  result  of  observation,  that  the  Oudemonites 
were  sagacious  in  putting  into  practice  maxims  and 
principles  that  civilized  nations  have  for  centuries 
recognized  as  true,  yet  for  the  most  part  have  not 
adopted  into  their  manners  and  customs.  Here  was 
a  people  that  lived  "close  to  Nature's  heart,"  it  might 
be  said,  supplied  with  a  great  variety  of  the  prod- 
ucts of  garden,  field  and  forest,  yet  their  food  was 
prepared  in  simple  form,  the  elaborate  arts  of  the 
Northern  cook  being  quite  ignored.       The  fries, 

130 


sautes,  ragouts  and  mixtures,  with  their  inflamma- 
tory additions  of  condiment  and  spice,  were  seen  on 
none  of  their  tables.  Cake  and  pastried  confections, 
heavy  with  fat  or  oil  and  smothered  in  sugar,  they 
were  not  familiar  with.  For  their  drink  there  was 
the  clear,  fresh  water  that  ran  in  deep  courses 
through  every  home  plot,  besides  fruit  juices  and  the 
succulent  sap  of  various  trees  and  shrubs.  Grapes 
of  different  species  hung  on  trellises  in  the  garden 
plots,  ripening  in  succession  almost  the  year  round; 
but  nowhere  did  I  find  them  using  wine.  The  near- 
est approach  to  anything  that  could  be  called  stimu- 
lating was  the  kind  of  coffee  they  prepared  for  the 
table,  and  that,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  was  un- 
like ours  in  its  absence  of  the  narcotic  or  excite- 
mental  principle. 

In  their  manner  of  working  they  were  moderate, 
whatever  the  vocation  pursued,  so  that  there  was  no 
strain  or  irritation,  and  for  sleep  the  common  allow- 
ance of  eight  hours  supplied  what  was  necessary  to 
recruit  nerve  and  muscle.  Then  there  was  the  mu- 
tual good-fellowship  of  the  people,  the  sympathy  and 
kind-heartedness  exhibited  by  all,  to  prompt  that 
ready  inter-relation  of  physical  function  so  essential 
to  robust  vitality.  A  people  so  heartily  cooperative 
as  these  Oudemonites  must  act  and  react  upon  each 
other  most  happily  for  health  and  comfortable  feel- 
ing. Thus  it  was  that  they  were  uniformly  well, 
and  if  through  any  cause  one  became  ill  his  consti- 
tutional disposition  to  health  and  the  happy  social 

131 


atmosphere  that  surrounded  him  contributed  power- 
fully to  offset  a  serious  consequence.  While  our 
pathologists  seem  inclined  to  think  that  an  organ- 
ism, by  vaccination  or  the  absorption  of  certain  poi- 
sonous substances,  may  be  rendered  immune  to  dan- 
gerous maladies,  I  am  satisfied  that  these  simple  folk 
demonstrated  in  their  living  that  a  sound  and  vigor- 
ous constitution  supplies  the  best  immunity.  With . 
them  it  was  the  contagion  of  health. 

THE  WOMANLY  RELATION". 

In  a  few  days  Ellice  had  entirely  recovered  her 
wonted  vivacity.  I  was  a  trifle  disappointed  that 
but  slight  reference  to  the  affair  was  made  by  any 
one  to  me.  The  district  Bulletins  mentioned  it  in  a 
merely  casual  way,  one  suggesting  the  expediency  of 
a  thorough  exploration  of  the  region  for  other  speci- 
mens of  the  reptile  that  might  be  lurking  there,  and 
thus  prevent  further  ''accidents"  of  the  kind.  El- 
lice being  much  beloved  in  her  district  and  else- 
where, friends  and  relatives  expressed  to  her  their 
great  pleasure  at  her  escape  from  a  possibly  grave 
termination  of  the  incident,  while  to  me,  if  any  allu- 
sion were  made  regarding  my  part  in  it,  they  inti- 
mated little  more  than  satisfaction  that  I  had  not 
been  wanting  in  resource.  My  am  our  pro  pre  was 
a  little  touched ;  but,  then,  every  man  in  Oudemon 
would  be  expected  to  do  his  best  in  a  moment  of 
peril,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  when  that  was  con- 

132 


sidered,  the  common  estimate  of  my  conduct  was  in 
accordance  merely  with  the  received  standard  of 
manhood.  Knowing  as  I  did  of  the  non-use  of  alco- 
holics here,  I  was  a  little  puzzled  that  no  one  offered 
any  comment  on  my  having  in  possession  a  sample 
of  so  strong  a  liquor  as  Jamaica  rum. 

One  outcome  of  this  incident,  however,  and  that 
which  caused  me  much  gratification,  was  a  closer 
association  with  Ellice.  The  girl  exhibited  a  confi- 
dence and  openness  toward  me  now  that  was  quite 
sisterly.  We  saw  each  other  frequently ;  in  fact,  she 
became  my  chief  guide  and  companion  in  rides  and 
walks.  There  was  no  remark  or  question  concern- 
ing this  intimacy,  and  ruminating  about  it  I  was  led 
one  day,  when  in  conversation  with  Marcus,  the  el- 
der, to  remark: 

"Your  women,  my  friend,  enjoy  a  freedom  that 
goes  much  beyond  ours.  Latterly,  there  has  grown 
up  with  us  a  spirit  of  independence  that  was  quite 
unknown  fifty  years  ago.  Women  now  go  into  busi- 
ness, compete  with  men,  have  their  own  societies, 
clubs,  etc.,  yet  in  their  social  life  women  of  our  best 
class  do  not  exhibit  quite  the  freedom  that  yours  do." 

"It  may  be  as  you  say,  Malcolm;  but  we  are  not 
aware  of  any  special  independence  being  shown  by 
our  women,  beyond  what  should  be  of  natural  right. 
When  full  grown  and  mature  in  mind  they  take 
equal  place  with  men  among  us,  a  matter  of  mere 
justice.  In  some  respects,  you  must  know,  the  fe- 
male is  of  greater  importance  than  the  male  to  so- 

^33 


ciety;  our  perpetuation,  the  home  and  its  domestic 
economics,  and  other  things  depend  more  upon  wom- 
an than  man.  Perhaps  it  may  be  said  that  we  have 
come  to  appreciate  the  character  and  capacity  of 
women  at  near  their  true  value,  and  what  you  see 
of  moral  elevation  among  us  is  due,  in  a  great  meas- 
ure, to  their  active  participation  in  our  affairs  gen- 
erally." 

"I  have  no  objection,  venerable  councillor,  to 
make  to  the  economics  of  your  social  arrangement. 
With  us  of  the  North,  however,  there  is  a  prevalent 
habit,  tacitly  held  or  expressed,  of  considering 
woman  as  lacking  in  strength  of  mind,  too  volatile 
or  fluctuating  in  opinion,  too  emotional  and  suscep- 
tible in  feeling  to  be  trusted  in  matters  of  grave  con- 
cern." 

"Well,  my  young  friend,"  he  rejoined,  in  a  tone 
suggestive  of  pity,  "we  have  no  fear  on  that  score, 
believing  that  woman's  place  is  by  the  side  of  man 
in  all  things.  Here,  at  any  rate,  her  interests  are 
the  same  as  ours,  and  we  find  that  with  the  same 
privileges  of  education  and  experience  she  can  ren- 
der efficient  service  in  all  things  that  concern  di- 
rectly our  true  welfare." 

"But  she  cannot  go  everywhere,  work  in  your 
mines  and  machine  shops,  attempt  severe  and  labor- 
ious things,  which  are  not  suited  to  her  nature,"  I 
rejoined,  a  little  warmly. 

"You  mistake,  Malcolm,  because  you  have  not 
had  time  to  become  well  acquainted  with  us,"  said 

134 


the  old  man,  quietly.  "We  have  very  few  enter- 
prises that  women  can  not  take  some  part  in.  Our 
mining  and  other  work  is  conducted  in  ways  that  are 
not  severe,  especially.  We  do  not  believe  in  com- 
pelling either  men  or  women  to  do  things  that  are 
dangerous  to  life  or  limb.  Coercion,  indeed,  does 
not  find  place  in  our  unwritten  law,  because  there  is 
no  subjection  in  the  sense  of  your  economists  recog- 
nized by  any  man  or  woman  among  us  to  any  other 
man  or  woman.  The  theory  that  the  few  are  born 
to  rule  and  the  masses  to  serve  we  consider  unjust 
and  inhuman,  and  is  advocated  by  sophists  who 
favor  the  perpetuation  of  a  class  having  privileges 
and  advantages  over  the  majority  of  their  fellow 
men.  You  will  see  as  you  become  further  acquaint- 
ed with  our  life  that  care  is  taken  always  to  prevent 
mishaps.  Our  chemists  and  engineers  are  cautious 
by  habit,  and  in  developing  their  plans  make  haste 
slowly,  run  no  risks  themselves  and  guard  against 
damage  to  others.  We  have  secured  control  of 
agents  most  powerful  and  even  terribly  destructive, 
but  by  processes  that  have  involved  comparatively 
little  peril;  and  those  who  employ  these  agents  are 
thoroughly  skilled  in  their  handling.  Indeed,  we 
value  life  too  much.  Our  people  are  too  dear  to  us 
to  be  exposed  unnecessarily  to  danger.  There  are 
some  adventurous  spirits  among  us,  to  be  sure,  who 
are  allowed  a  little  rein,  but  our  system  of  education 
enables  the  young  to  become  self -restraining  and  to 
curb  a  disposition  toward  recklessness  and  over- 

135 


daring.  Women,  being  naturally  cautious  and  cir- 
cumspect, exert  a  happy  influence  when  some  discov- 
ery or  new  development  would  tempt  the  aspiring  to 
expose  themselves  to  unknown  risk  and  danger. 

"You  refer  me  to  the  competition  of  women  in 
spheres  hitherto  occupied  by  men  only,  and  I  can 
well  perceive  by  the  tone  of  your  remarks,  IMal- 
colm,  that  3^ou  are  apprehensive  of  unfortunate  com- 
plications as  the  result  of  it.  As  your  society  and 
business  relations  are,  there  must  be  some  very  un- 
happy effects  of  such  a  movement  on  the  part  of 
your  women,  a  disturbance  of  the  old  order  that  has 
its  points  of  objection.  But  you  must  confess  that 
your  women  have  been  forced  to  invade  their  broth- 
ers' fields  of  action  in  the  struggle  for  very  exist- 
ence that  your  social  policy  has  evolved.  Our  women 
incline  to  those  things  that  are  in  keeping  with  their 
nature  and  taste.  Home  and  the  things  that  make 
for  home,  comfort  and  happiness,  are  their  chief 
concern,  whatever  else  they  may  do.  Feeling  no 
compulsion,  no  restriction  as  regards  their  liberty 
of  action,  they  appear  to  respond  the  more  cheer- 
fully to  the  natural  bias  of  woman  nature." 

I  had  listened  very  attentively  to  this  long  speech 
of  the  councillor,  but  now  broke  out : 

"Verily  you  have  sounded  a  great  truth,  Marcus ; 
in  the  freedom  of  your  social  system  there  is  shown 
man's  obedience  to  the  law  of  being.  Only  they 
who  have  the  truth  and  live  it  are  free." 


136 


The  councillor  smiled  at  my  earnestness  and  held 
out  his  hand. 

"I  have  a  little  errand  to  neighbor  Hancefoot 
yonder,  my  young  enthusiast.  A  happy  meeting 
soon." 

"A  happy  meeting  soon,  my  dear  modern  Lycur- 
gus,"  I  replied,  and  we  parted. 


137 


CHAPTER  X. 

ON    SCHOOL    MATTERS. 

"Malcolm  must  go  to  school  with  me  to-day; 
won't  you,  cousin  ?"  asked  Stella. 

"Certainly,  my  dear  Stelline,"  I  answered,  pois- 
ing a  section  of  roasted  breadfruit  that  I  had  just 
dipped  in  guava  sauce  upon  my  fork.  In  passing  it 
might  be  interlined  here  that  the  table  furnishings 
of  the  people  among  whom  I  was  living  were  of  a 
metalHc  composition  at  once  light,  lustrous  and 
strong.  Plates,  cups,  cutlery,  etc.,  were  of  this  gen- 
erally. Into  the  composition  entered  silver,  alumi- 
num, a  kind  of  hematite  and  one  or  two  other  met- 
als obtained  from  the  aluminum  beds.  In  preparing 
the  flux  the  smiths  varied  the  proportions  according 
to  the  purpose  in  view,  obtaining  a  hard  and  bright 
or  a  soft  and  dull  combination.  Very  little  glass 
was  seen  anywhere,  what  they  had  being  used  main- 
ly for  optical  and  scientific  purposes,  A  very  fine 
variety  of  mica,  procured  in  large  slabs  from  the 
aluminum  beds,  furnished  their  windows  and  outer 
doors  with  perfectly  transparent  and  durable  plates. 
Lead,  zinc  and  other  cheap  ores  were  abundant  and 
used  in  the  Oudemon  industries  and  arts.  A  feature 
of  the  house  furnishing  that  at  first  struck  me  oddly 

138 


was  the  absence  of  fastenings  on  their  doors,  and 
these  were  commonly  hung  on  double-acting  hinges. 
The  houses,  however,  that  had  been  built  in  the  last 
twenty  years  had  no  interior  doors — curtains,  or 
what  we  call  portieres,  of  soft,  graceful  fabric 
merely  dividing  one  room  from  another.  Re- 
turning to  the  colloquy  interrupted  by  this  digres- 
sion: 

"Certainly  it  would  be  a  treat  to  see  how  your 
schools  are  run,  Stelline,"  I  said,  at  the  same  time 
placing  the  succulent  morsel  that  had  been  hovering 
near  my  face  while  speaking,  in  my  mouth. 

*T  didn't  know  but  that  you  would  be  away  on 
some  already  planned  tramp  with  Ellice,"  the  girl 
rejoined  in  a  light,  mischievous  tone;  "for  since  that 
affair  in  the  shallows  the  Dentons  appear  to  have  a 
sort  of  monopoly  of  a  certain  gentleman  from  the 
far  North,  you  know." 

"That  reminds  me,"  observed  father  Bruce, 
"that  Caroline  Newton  was  looking  for  specimens 
up  that  way  a  day  or  two  ago,  with  a  party  of  young 
folks  from  district  eleven,  and  they  found  the  re- 
mains of  the  creature  supposed  to  have  bitten  El- 
lice. It  is  over  in  the  chemical  laboratory,  in  charge 
of  Pentersoe,  if  you  care  to  see  it,  folks." 

"No,  thank  you,  Jasper.  I  had  enough  of  it,  for 
one.  Let  the  good  Pentersoe  make  an  analysis  of 
the  virus." 

"I  think  that  is  his  intention,"  remarked  Willis. 
"Two  or  three  of  our  fellows  who  are  pretty  well 

139 


up  in  zoology  say  that  it  is,  or  was,  one  of  the  most 
poisonous  things  known,  and  wonder  whether  any 
more  of  the  kind  exist.  At  any  rate,  a  careful  in- 
spection of  the  neighborhood  is  now  on  foot,  and  a 
mongosta  or  two  will  be  set  to  hunting  for  them." 

"That's  the  animal,  Willis,  which  was  mentioned 
by  Ellice.  You  keep  them  for  such  a  purpose,  I 
judge." 

"The  mongosta,  yes — a  few  now.  In  the  early 
days  the  country  abounded  in  venomous  snakes,  liz- 
ards, spiders,  beetles,  and  so  on.  Some  mongostas 
were  brought  in  and  set  to  work,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  they  had  quite  cleared  out  or  destroyed  the 
dangerous  crowd.  There  were  colonies  of  preda- 
cious birds  here  then — flesh  eaters ;  great  eagles,  vul- 
tures, owls,  cranes,  and  so  on ;  but  with  the  clearing 
of  the  land  and  the  disappearance  of  reptiles  and 
insects  they  are  quite  gone,  too.  Our  monkey  serv- 
ants are  great  helps  in  keeping  our  trees  and  vines 
free  of  the  larger  worms  and  vermin  that  the  birds 
do  not  dispose  of." 

"Yes,  I  have  seen  one  now  and  then  scampering 
about  in  the  branches,  and  watched  him  picking  up 
dried  and  rolled-up  leaves  and  peering  at  them  in 
his  droll  way." 

"Funny  enough,  Malcolm,  isn't  it?"  laughed 
Stella.  "Ellice  says  they  are  natural  entomologists; 
they  learn  to  know  an  injurious  bug  or  worm  so 
quickly  you  would  be  surprised,  and  some  of  them 
they  eat  with  a  cordial  relish." 

140 


"Oh,  a  perverted  appetite,  surely;  why  do  you 
permit  such  carnivorous  expression?"  I  asked,  jok- 
ingly. "But,  then,  I  ask  you,  friends,  not  to  at- 
tempt an  apology  for  the  weakness  of  an  inferior 
race.  I  would  not  wound  Jabber's  feelings;  he  is 
too  good  a  valet,  and  his  comical  ways  are  a  tonic 
daily." 

A  merry  laugh  went  round  the  table ;  then  Milline 
said:  "Evidently  the  little  rogue  likes  you  very 
much,  for  whenever  you  go  out  and  don't  whistle  he 
is  restless  and  disconsolate  for  a  while." 

"Yes,  mother  Milline,  we  are  excellent  friends, 
and  I  have  become  quite  learned  in  his  manage- 
ment." 

"]\Ialcolm  acted  a  little  funny  at  first  when  Jab- 
ber was  given  him,  didn't  he,  mother?"  said  Stella, 
archly.  "I  guess  they  do  not  have  many  monkeys 
where  he  lives." 

"No,  my  little  cousin,  so  acutely  observant,"  I 
replied;  "we  see  them  mainly  in  the  animal  shows, 
and  do  not  know,  as  you  do,  how  useful  they  can 
be.  But  don't  forget  that  I  am  going  to  school  with 
you,  and  tell  the  teachers  to  be  very  amiable  and  not 
ask  me  many  hard  questions,  because  I  haven't  had 
time  to  study  the  lessons,  and  no  one  is  home  to  write 
an  excuse,  so  the  teacher  will  let  me  off." 

The  young  folks  looked  at  me  quizzically  as  I  said 
this,  and  there  came  a  grave  expression  on  the  faces 
of  father  and  mother  Bruce,  as  if  they  were  uncer- 
tain as  to  the  moral  significance  of  the  remark.  I 
added : 

141 


"Up  our  way  when  our  children  do  not  know  their 
lessons  or  are  late  going  to  school,  we  write  ex- 
cuses for  them  so  that  no  bad  marks  shall  be  put  to 
their  account." 

"That  means  you  have  a  system  of  marking  chil- 
dren good  or  bad,  j\Ialcolm,"  inquired  Jasper. 

"Yes." 

"How  peculiar !"  said  Willis,  reflectively. 

"Why,  have  you  not  a  system  of  merits  and  de- 
merits in  your  schools  ?" 

"We  do  not  know  anything  of  the  kind,"  father 
Bruce  replied.  "Our  children  are  expected  to  at- 
tend their  schools  and  to  learn  the  lessons  given 
them.  If  they  are  not  there,  or  if  unable  to  answer 
questions  in  their  studies,  what  they  may  say  in  ex- 
planation is  accepted." 

"But,  father  Bruce,  everybody  comes  who  can," 
cried  Stella,  earnestly.  "We  all  love  our  teachers 
and  lessons,  and  wouldn't  stay  away — no,  indeed, 
on  any  account.  I  don't  know  a — yes,  Neil  Brink 
was  absent  one  day — oh,  a  long  time  ago,  because 
the  day  before  we  all  went  up  into  the  woods,  and 
he  ate  too  much  custard  apple  and  had  cramps,  and 
his  mother  kept  him  in  bed  next  day  until  he  got 
over  them.  Poor  boy,  he  was  so  sorry  that  he  said 
he'd  never  eat  any  more  custard  apple.  But  cus- 
tard apple  can't  really  hurt  me,  mother?" 

"You  may  eat  too  much  of  any  good  thing,  little 
daughter.  That  was  a  very  warm  day,  and  I  think 
the  boy  became  overheated.     He  is  a  very  active, 

T42 


nervous  boy,  and  you  said,  if  I  remember,  that  he 
ran  about  and  climbed  trees  until  he  was  clear  tired 
out." 

"Oh,  yes,  mother  Bruce,  that  was  so.  And  we 
were  all  sorry  poor  Neil  had  to  Stay  home." 

"And  I  well  remember  having  too  much  of  a 
good  thing  one  day  not  very  long  ago,"  was  my  in- 
tervention, "and  how  nicely  a  kind  mother  fixed  me, 
and  as  I  have  been  very  well  ever  since  I  am  going 
to  give  my  best  respects  to  her  delicious  toasted 
breadfruit  and  honey  every  time  she  dare  put  it  on 
this  table." 

"Now,  my  dear  boy,"  insisted  the  excellent  wom- 
an, with  a  tenderness  that  mellowed  the  smile  of 
pleasure  on  her  face,  "don't  say  anything  more  about 
that,  and  you  shall  have  the  dish  every  time  you  ask 
for  it." 

"Thank  your  graciousness,  Milline  Bruce,  for  its 
consideration  of  my  appetite,  but,  really,  whenever  I 
sit  here  the  zest  of  what  is  before  me  excludes 
thought  of  other  things ;  so  I  shall  leave  the  matter 
of  ordering  the  bill  of  fare  to  the  maitrcssc  de  la 
cuisine,  who  shows  so  much  skill  in  catering  to  our 
caprices  of  taste  and  appetite." 

"And  at  the  same  time  feeds  us  so  well,"  added 
the  elder  Bruce,  laughing  with  the  others  at  this  at- 
tempt at  badinage  and  compliment. 

These  folk  are  slow  feeders,  and  being  naturally 
disposed  that  way  myself,  I  took  on  their  habit  in 
an  exaggerated  degree,  and  usually,  with  the  cur- 

143 


rent  of  talk  that  always  accompanied  meals,  at  the 
Bruces  especially,  was  slow  in  finishing  my  cup  of 
native  coffee,  or  tree  milk,  or  whatever  else  might 
be  the  liquid  accompaniment.  Stella's  sympathetic 
reference  to  the  unhappy  experience  of  Neil,  and 
my  expression  of  affection  for  her  mother's  dain- 
ties, at  the  risk  of  any  gastric  displeasure  that  might 
threaten,  were  followed  by  our  general  rise  from  the 
table  and  the  conclusion  of  the  breakfast. 

A    GLIMPSE    OF    THE    SYSTEM. 

An  Oudemon  schoolhouse  does  not  differ  much 
in  form  from  the  average  dwelling.  Two  stories  in 
height,  with  four  large  rooms  on  each  floor,  and  a 
square  inner  court  planted  with  trees  and  shrubs,  it 
is  a  pleasant  rendezvous  for  pedagogue  and  pupil. 
As  in  the  North,  women  predominate  for  teachers^ 
the  men  giving  attention  chiefly  to  special  branches, 
like  language,  chemistry,  certain  industrial  studies 
and  physical  training.  For  the  first  half  dozen  years 
the  fundamentals  of  education  are  taught,  attention 
being  carefully  given  to  the  order  of  nature  in  de- 
veloping the  faculties.  After  this  preparatory  course 
there  is  a  differentiation  in  the  training  of  individ- 
uals, according  to  their  aptitude  or  intellectual  bias. 
From  the  school  of  the  district  to  the  general  college, 
with  its  seven  or  eight  departments,  the  pupil  is 
transferred  when  competent  for  the  advanced  and 
special  lines  of  study.     Stella  was  in  her  last  year, 

144 


and  expected  to  enter  upon  a  collegiate  course  the 
following  autumn,  to  study  certain  branches  of  phy- 
sics and  natural  history,  and  then  to  teach  for  a 
time.  It  was  the  common  opinion  that  a  season  of 
teaching  in  the  preparatory  school  was  good  training 
for  the  grown-up  girl,  and  made  her  all  the  better 
fitted  for  the  duties  of  life,  in  the  home  and  out  of 
it.  At  the  same  time  married  women  were  not  de- 
barred from  the  post  of  teacher,  if  unusual  capacity 
and  inclination  were  shown  for  its  functions;  but 
were  expected  to  devote  only  a  part  of  their  time  to 
the  schoolroom. 

The  several  classes  were  small,  limited  to  twenty, 
and,  so  far  as  possible,  the  pupils  were  assorted  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  have  together  those  of  nearly 
similar  mental  abilities.  At  recess,  in  the  play- 
ground, all  ages  and  grades  were  together,  no  dis- 
tinction of  scholarly  rank  being  considered  there. 
With  the  duller,  backward  pupils  pains  were  spe- 
cially taken,  teachers  being  given  them  of  superior 
judgment  and  skill,  but  no  method  was  employed 
for  forcing  their  faculties  into  action.  There  were 
no  set  times  for  examinations  or  promotions,  the 
children  passing  from  one  study  to  another  by  their 
own  intellectual  inertia,  or  in  obedience  to  the  nat- 
ural prompting  of  development.  The  classification 
of  pupils  according  to  their  natural  capacity  and 
temperamental  type  was  a  great  factor  in  the  train- 
ing process,  contributing,  as  it  manifestly  did,  to 
thoroughness  in  the  acquirement  of  such  studies  as 

145 


were  pursued  by  this  or  that  one.  I  had  learned 
much  from  ElHce  concerning  the  organization  of 
their  schools,  and  being  prepared  therefore  for  this 
visit  with  Stella  was  all  the  more  interested  in  what 
I  saw. 

On  the  way  my  young  companion  said:  "You 
are  so  fond  of  our  dear  little  ones,  Malcolm  cousin, 
I  shall  take  you  first  into  the  primary  and  leave  you 
there  for  the  hour  until  recess,  unless  you  object." 

"No,  ma  petite" — Stella  liked  this  French  famil- 
iarity, and  it  was  used  often  when  talking  with  her — 
"I  shall  not  object.  Ellice  has  assured  me  that  the 
primary  in  this  district  is  particularly  nice." 

"Ellice,  always  Ellice ;  you're  quoting  her  a  great 
deal,  cousin  Malcolm,"  exclaimed  the  girl,  with  a 
little  pout  on  her  lip.  "Well,  she  knows,  and  I  ex- 
pect to  try  my  hand  before  many  years  there,  too, 
and  I  don't  know  how  I  shall  get  along  with  the  lit- 
tle witches." 

"Excellently,  I  am  positive,  ma  petite.  You  have 
what  we  call  the  knack  of  interesting  them  and  the 
discretion  of  a  little  mother." 

"Oh,  you  great  man !"  the  girl  looked  up  in  my 
face,  highly  pleased,  at  the  same  time  mischievously 
pinching  my  arm.  "Father  often  says,"  she  added, 
demurely,  "that  the  happiness  and  greatness  of  our 
people,  and  all  peoples,  must  depend  upon  the  early 
training  of  the  young  children." 

"As  the  twig  is  bent  the  tree's  inclined,  Stella." 
'    "That's  in  Pope,  isn't  it  ?    We  have  lately  read  his 

146 


'Essay  on  Man'  in  the  rhetoric  class There 

she  comes  now,  really." 

We  were  passing  the  Denton  house,  and  Ellice 
had  just  emerged  from  the  door.  We  waited  until 
she  joined  us. 

"You  are  not  going  to  have  him  this  morning,  El- 
lice, dear,"  she  exclaimed,  in  affected  triumph.  El- 
lice glanced  at  me  amusedly,  and  said : 

"I  do  not  want  him  this  morning,  dear  child.  He 
can  be  yours  all  now." 

For  my  own  part  I  felt  a  trifle  uneasy  over  this 
train  of  remark,  and  broke  in : 

"Yes,  Ellice,  she  is  taking  me  to  school.  I  need 
some  freshening  up.  It  is  so  long  since  I  left  the 
seminary  up  there  that  I  am  rusty  in  many  of  the 
common  branches.  In  fact,  Stella  is  going  to 
place  me  in  the  primary  for  an  hour — quite  wise  on 
her  part,  is  it  not?" 

"Very  good,"  laughed  Ellice.  "Yes,  I  think  Mal- 
colm will  learn  a  great  deal  there.  Father  Jasper 
says  he  has  a  big  head,  with  plenty  of  room  in  it." 

"Wow,  my  young  lady  comrades,  but  he  hit  me 
right  then,  I  verily  believe !"  I  exclaimed.  The  tone 
in  which  these  words  were  said  evidently  startled 
the  girls,  for  each  seized  a  hand  and  looked  up  so 
gravely  that  I  could  not  repress  a  laugh.  Stella 
asked : 

"What  is  it,  dear  cousin?"  and  Ellice  added: 

"I  hope  that  I  did  not  say  anything  disagreeable, 
Malcolm." 

147 


"Well,  no;  you  could  not,  fair  daughters  of  Eve; 
but  I  will  be  frank  enough  to  advise  you  that  up  our 
way  we  have  a  saying  very  like  that  of  father 
Bruce,  which  is  sometimes  applied  to  a  person  who 
is  not  particularly  bright." 

"You  mean  wanting  in  good  sense,"  said  Ellice, 
solicitously,  still  holding  my  hand. 

"Yes,  that  is  more  to  the  point," 

"Oh,  dear  Malcolm,"  cried  the  lively  young  wom- 
an, "father  Bruce  never  thought  anything  of  the 
kind.  He  meant,  and  I  understood  him,  that  you 
were  very  clever  in  seeing  things,  and  could  gather 
in  a  great  deal  of  information.  I  saw  his  breath  test 
a  few  days  ago;  Caroline  showed  it  to  me,  Stella. 
The  color  indicates  a  great  readiness  of  observation 
that  can  come  only  from  a  natural  largeness  of  fac- 
ulty and  a  wide  experience  in  the  use  of  memory." 

The  frank  manner  of  this  remark  and  the  steady 
gaze  into  my  face  of  two  pairs  of  wide  dewy  eyes 
was  convincing  enough. 

"Spare  me,  good  girls,"  I  said,  laughing  heartily. 
"I  only  wish  that  your  very  kind  opinion  may  be 
confirmed."  Then  in  a  graver  manner:  "You 
must  remember,  though,  I  am  a  foreigner,  and 
likely  to  seem  peculiar  in  my  talk  and  manner.  It 
would  be  no  easy  task,  be  assured,  to  live  up  to  the 
standard  of  you  excellent  folk." 

"We  do  not  forget  that  you  are  a  dear  friend 
from  a  distant  land,"  said  Ellice,  in  a  like  vein; 
"but  we  prefer  Malcolm  as  he  is,  don't  we,  Stella?" 

148 


"Yes,  indeed,  and  I  would  not  have  him  change  a 
bit,"  replied  the  young  girl,  emphatically. 

"Then  with  so  large  a  majority  of  the  meeting  in 
favor  of  the  status  quo,  as  our  lawyers  say,  I  shall 
endeavor  to  act  my  natural  self  on  all  future  occa- 
sions, my  dear  ladies." 

By  this  time  we  had  arrived  at  the  school  build- 
ing, where  Ellice  took  leave  of  us,  and  Stella  and 
I  went  in. 

AMONG      THE      CHILDREN. 

The  primary  department  proved  interesting  at 
first  sight.  On  the  broad  walls  hung  charts  and  pic- 
tures descriptive  of  such  things  as  belong  to  every- 
day life:  plants,  birds,  animals,  the  topography  of 
the  country,  scenes  in  social  life,  designs  of  houses, 
garden  and  field  views,  illustrations  of  food  prod- 
ucts, fruits,  nuts,  grains;  minerals,  also,  of  many 
sorts  that  were  used  in  the  furnishings  of  home  and 
for  machinery  and  tools  and  other  conveniences.  A 
few  neatly  painted  maxims  of  order  and  conduct 
added  variety  to  the  collection.  These,  however, 
were  not  in  the  style  of  letter  and  spelling  with 
which  an  American  child  is  familiar,  but  in  the 
character  peculiar  to  Oudemon.  The  notebook  of 
Restling  illustrated  the  style  of  writing  and  print- 
ing in  this  country — a  brief  method  of  representing 
words  that  was  easily  learned  by  the  young,  and  con- 
venient in  a  high  degree  for  all  purposes  of  record 

149 


and  communication.  In  a  few  weeks  I  had  acquired 
a  fair  knowledge  of  it,  and  was  able  to  read  the  news 
bulletins  of  the  community  and  such  books  as  my 
much-occupied  time  permitted  me  to  examine. 

The  instruction  given  was  but  a  series  of  object 
lessons  relating  to  the  useful  and  necessary,  the  first 
aim  being  to  impress  the  child  with  true  ideas  con- 
cerning its  nature,  its  relations  to  others,  and  its 
having  a  part,  as  a  member  of  the  human  family,  in 
the  world  of  activity  and  usefulness.  I  had  been 
struck  by  the  deference  shown  by  the  young  folks 
to  their  elders,  and  by  their  frank  sincerity  on  all  oc- 
casions, evasion,  dissimulation,  cunning  or  mis- 
chievous trickery  to  obtain  ends  that  child  caprice 
might  desire  being  apparently  unknown  in  their  con- 
duct. I  saw  at  this  school  how  it  was  that  such  ex- 
cellent habits  were  established ;  the  example  and  ad- 
monition of  parents  with  regard  to  the  proprieties 
of  thought  and  action  were  well  supplemented  by 
the  systematic  teaching  of  this  schoolroom.  There 
were  textbooks  carefully  prepared  on  the  level  of  the 
child  mind,  inculcating  the  principles  of  moral  habit. 
These  books  not  only  contained  precepts  and  les- 
sons on  behavior  and  conduct,  but  illustrated  their 
meaning  in  simple,  attractive  terms  with  stories  and 
incidents  from  the  life  surrounding  the  child.  Thus 
to  be  true,  sincere,  good-natured,  kind  and  helpful 
were  taught  as  principles  essential  in  personal  edu- 
cation, and  of  more  importance  than  the  physical  and 
intellectual  training  that  formed  part  of  the  curric- 

150 


ulum.  It  was  not  duty  that  was  impressed  upon  the 
young  mind  as  a  major  reason  for  good  manners  and 
proper  habits,  so  much  as  it  was  the  rightness  and 
privilege  of  good  behavior  and  moral  integrity  and 
their  necessary  relation  to  love  and  respect.  Then, 
too,  the  happiness  that  attended  upright  conduct  had 
its  examples  on  all  sides  and  gave  a  natural  stimulus 
to  the  disposition  to  become  worthy  of  the  respect 
and  affection  of  friends  and  companions.  Moral 
truth  w^as  seen  to  be  fundamental  to  intellectual 
truth ;  consistency  in  the  character  but  complemental 
to  exactness  in  the  secular  activities. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  what  I  had  read  of  that  old 
pedagogue  philosopher,  Herbart,  had  obtained  a 
certain  realization  in  the  family  and  school  manage- 
ment of  Oudemon.  The  insistence  upon  habit  as 
the  seat  of  good  conduct  in  the  individual  and  in  the 
w'ider  community  life  which  marks  the  teachings  of 
Herbart  certainly  had  here  an  apt  illustration,  with 
results  that  would  have  warmed  the  heart  of  that 
earnest  sage  to  a  high  degree  of  exultation.  It  must 
be  noted,  however,  that  it  was  not  the  impression  of 
maxims  and  precepts  so  much  as  it  was  the  showing 
the  child  in  the  general  life  surrounding  him  the 
right  way  to  act  that  had  such  thorough  effect  in 
his  evolution. 

After  some  exercise  in  singing,  the  interpretation 
of  sentences  written  on  a  blackboard,  the  analysis 
of  a  few  flowers  that  had  been  brought  in  by  one  of 
the  pupils,  a  recess  was  given,  when  the  little  ones 

151 


immediately  surrounded  me.  I  encouraged  them  to 
ask  questions,  and  told  them  some  incidents  from 
my  boy  life  in  the  distant  city  from  which  I  came. 
All  listened  eagerly,  and  some  made  remarks  on 
what  I  said  that  intimated  surprising  good  sense. 
Relating  some  of  the  differences  between  our  homes 
and  theirs,  how  whole  blocks  hundreds  of  feet  in 
length  stood  on  both  sides  of  a  narrow  street,  with 
no  trees  or  gardens  about  them,  one  little  girl  said : 
"Oh,  good  stranger,  how  can  you  breathe  when  so 
shut  in  from  the  beautiful  sun?  I  would  think  that 
all  your  people  would  be  very  sad.  We  could  not 
live  without  our  trees  and  gardens  and  lakes  and 
brooks,  could  we,  dear  children?" 

"Oh,  no,"  they  burst  out,  and  looked  at  me  quite 
pityingly,  as  deprived  of  certain  great  means  of 
happiness. 

"When  you  go  back,  dear  Malcolm,"  said  an- 
other, "will  you  not  tell  the  people  to  take  away  a 
great  many  of  the  houses  and  lay  out  gardens  with 
pretty  walks,  so  that  they  can  have  nice  homes,  as 
we  have  ?" 

Of  course  I  said  that  I  wished  our  people  had  as 
lovely  a  country  and  such  pleasant  homes  as  my 
dear  little  friends  here  had,  because  I  knew  it  would 
be  better  for  our  children  and  everybody. 

After  the  recess  came  music,  two  scholars  from  a 
higher  department  playing,  one  upon  a  violin  and 
the  other  upon  a  harp.  To  the  measure  simple  gym- 
nastics were  gone  through,  with  practice  in  attitude 

152 


and  walk.  It  was  not  marching  that  was  taught, 
but  stepping  in  an  easy  rhythmic  fashion.  Running 
exercises  also  were  given  in  the  court,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  promoting  development  of  muscle  and  an 
easy  carriage  of  the  body.  I  did  not  wonder  now 
at  the  upright  form  and  free  movement  that  were 
characteristic  of  the  Oudemonites.  It  was  only  a 
natural  sequence  of  the  early  training  received  by 
them  as  children. 

It  was  customary  to  have  the  pupils  eat  their  mid- 
day meal  at  the  school,  teachers  and  scholars  asso- 
ciating in  the  pleasant  function.  All  were  supplied 
with  boxes  or  small  baskets  containing  the  day's 
supply  of  provender.  Stella  had  brought  a  double 
ration.  We  all  went  into  the  court  and  sat  around 
the  tinkling  fountain,  and  there  discussed  the  meal, 
every  one  making  the  contents  of  his  or  her 
napkin  common  stock.  It  was  a  delightful  com- 
pany of  young  folks,  indeed,  all  sparkling  with 
mirth  and  prankishness,  yet  with  never  a  disposition 
to  tease  or  do  anything  to  annoy.  For  the  time  I 
became  a  boy  again,  trying  to  emulate  the  example 
of  the  teachers  who  mingled  with  their  pupils  as 
one  of  them  in  sympathy,  cheer  and  tenderness. 


153 


CHAPTER  XL 

A    PLEASANT    SURPRISE. 

The  clock  in  the  court  had  struck  fifteen  hours 
when  I  returned  to  Bruce's.  Jabber  whisked  out 
and  prancing  up  to  me,  grinned  so  fiercely  that  I 
could  not  but  imagine  that  something  unusual  had 
happened.  He  seized  the  skirt  of  my  coat  and  drew 
me  toward  the  outbuilding  where  the  implements 
for  gardening,  and  the  vehicles  used  by  the  family 
were  stored.  Chattering  volubly  he  ran  inside,  I 
following.  Then  he  pointed  to  a  new  three-wheeled 
autolat  upon  the  seat  of  which  lay  a  folded  paper 
addressed  to  "Our  Dear  Friend  Malcolm."  In  the 
style  of  Oudemon  I  read,  after  some  study — "Will 
Malcolm  accept  for  his  use  hereafter  while  in  our 
country — and  may  he  stay  a  long  time  with  us? — 
this  little  carriage?  Stiles  Morgan.''^ 

"Of  course  I  will.  Jabber,"  I  exclaimed  to  my 
four-pawed  servitor,  that  had  been  earnestly  watch- 
ing as  I  read  the  note,  and  now  capered  around  in 
great  glee  Avhile  I  examined  the  elegant  gift.  Stiles 
Morgan  I  had  met  two  or  three  times.  He  was  a 
master  mechanic  in  a  shop  where  goalones  were 
made.  I  had  visited  the  shop  with  Restling  and 
studied  the  mechanism  of  the  graceful  and  useful 

154 


vehicles  that  were  in  all  stages  of  construction 
there.  Stiles  showed  me  a  small  one-seat  affair 
which  he  was  building  for  himself.  The  frame  and 
running  parts  were  of  the  metallic  flux  I  have  al- 
ready mentioned,  but  so  blended  as  to  look  like 
oxidized  copper.  The  seat  about  a  yard  wide  was 
of  dark  wood  highly  polished  and  cushioned  in 
deer  skin,  or  what  resembled  that  kind  of  leather. 
I  learned  afterward  that  it  was  a  composition  of 
fibrous  bark  compressed  and  worked  to  the  degree 
of  softness  and  flexibility  that  distinguishes  fine 
deer  skin,  and  that  no  animal  leather  was  manu- 
factured in  the  country.  Under  the  seat  was  the 
cylinder  for  the  gas,  the  light  metal  of  which  it  was 
made  having  been  tested  with  a  pressure  of  two 
hundred  and  thirty-six  pounds.  This  container 
when  charged  would  be  sufficient  for  a  ride  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles.  The  two  back  wheels 
were  thirty-two  inches  in  diameter,  the  front  and 
guiding  wheel   but  twenty-two   inches. 

The  brief  inspection  then  made  satisfied  me  that 
Stiles  had  sent  me  the  wagon  he  had  made  for  his 
own  use,  and  I  could  not  resist  a  trial  of  it,  as  the 
gauge  indicated  an  abundant  supply  of  the  motive 
power.  So  turning  over  the  ring  in  the  guiding 
handle  I  drew  the  goalone  out  upon  the  roadway, 
got  in,  and  glanced  at  Jabber,who  with  great  de- 
light sprang  up  beside  me.  Opening  the  valve 
slightly  there  was  an  immediate  response  of  the 
nicely  adjusted  gearing  and  almost  noiselessly  we 

155 


ran  down  to  the  common  road,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments were  going  rapidly  eastward.  No  horse- 
man was  ever  more  dehghted  with  the  action  of  a 
new  trotter  upon  a  macadamized  turnpike  than  I  was 
with  the  smooth,  harmonious  movement  of  my  auto- 
lat.  Its  prompt  answer  to  every  experimental  trial, 
and  the  evident  possibilities  of  high  speed,  merely 
dependent  upon  extent  of  pressure,  made  it  appear 
to  me  the  very  acme  of  carriage  design. 

Almost  unconsciously  I  turned  in  the  direction 
of  district  14,  and  coursed  to  the  factory  where 
Morgan  was  employed.  Reining  up,  so  to  speak, 
at  the  entrance,  I  alighted  and  pushed  into  the  build- 
ing. There  was  no  office  through  which  a  visitor 
must  pass,  and  no  signs  in  prominent  view  with 
the  intimidating  challenge,  "No  admittance  except 
on  business."  Going  directly  into  the  machine 
room  I  saw  Stiles  operating  a  lathe  at  one  side.  He 
turned  as  I  entered  and  seeing  me,  nodded  smilingly. 
Offering  my  hand  I  said,  "Stiles,  you  have  done 
me  great  pleasure.  I  scarcely  know  how  to  thank 
you.  Your  own  carriage,  too.  I  shall  take  the  best 
care  I  know  of  it." 

"Well,  Malcolm,  if  you  are  pleased,  and  I  was 
sure  that  you  would  be — that  is  all  I  ask.  Yet  you 
know  that  any  one  here  would  gladly  let  you  use 
his  goalone." 

"Yes,  Stiles,  I  know  it  well.  But  I  could  not  help 
coming  to  you  at  once  to  give  you  my  thanks.  It 
runs  as  smooth  as  oil,  most  beautifully.     I  am  proud 

156 


of  it.  What  fittings  you  turn  out !  You  must  use 
it  whenever  you  care  to;  I  insist  upon  that  as  part 
of  the  contract." 

"Well,  Malcolm,  as  you  please;  but  remember 
when  you  need  a  fresh  cylinder  you  can  get  it  here, 
or  I  will  give  you  the  pump  for  recharging  if  you 
would  like  to  do  that  yourself  at  Jasper's." 

"Thank  you,  Stiles.  I  should  like  to  do  that.  I 
am  fond  of  dabbling  with  machinery." 

"You  would  make  a  good  Oudemonite,  Mal- 
colm," returned  Morgan,  laughing,  "and  you  may 
decide  to  remain  with  us  yet." 

Leaving  the  busy  mechanic  at  his  lathe  I  stepped 
into  the  new  carriage,  and  with  Jabber  alongside, 
sitting  on  his  tail  and  grinning  with  such  a  stretch 
of  mouth  that  his  face  seemed  to  have  no  other  fea- 
ture, I  rolled  back  to  Bruce's  and  stalled  my  new 
possession  in  a  back  angle  of  the  garden  house. 

Early  the  next  morning  before  I  had  risen  I  heard 
voices  in  merry  talk  under  my  window.  Looking 
down  there  was  Stella  mounted  on  the  new  goalone 
and  operating  it  with  the  interest  of  one  who  has 
found  a  thing  in  the  line  of  his  particular  fancy. 
Willis  was  there,  Ellice,  and  two  or  three  young 
people  of  the  neighborhood,  a  group  much  engaged 
in  discussing  the  points  of  the  vehicle.  Jabber  sat 
up  in  the  fork  of  a  young  mahogany  tree  apparently 
watchful  of  the  doings.  At  first  I  felt  a  little  in- 
dignant at  the  liberty  taken  with  my  property,  but 
that  feeling  soon  passed  away — for  the  skill  of  the 

157. 


girl  in  managing  the  machine  and  the  charming 
ease  of  its  performance  enlisted  my  admiration,  and 
prompted  a  hasty  finish  of  toilette  that  I  might  go 
down  and  join  them.  When  I  appeared  upon  the 
scene  it  was  the  occasion  for  a  salvo  of  exclamations 
regarding  the  perfection  of  the  goalone,  and  soon 
I  became  engaged  in  a  lively  discussion  of  the  points 
new  and  old  of  goalones  in  general  and  of  this  one 
under  inspection  in  particular. 

"There  is  only  one  thing  about  it,  dear  friends," 
I  said,  "that  seems  to  me  objectionable." 

"What  can  that  be,  Malcolm?"  asked  Willis  with 
a  shade  of  reproach  in  his  voice. 

"That  there  is  only  scant  room  for  two  to  ride, 
for  I  should  like  to  take  you  all  on  a  little  ante- 
prandial  round  this   delightful   morning." 

"Oh,  that  would  be  pleasant!  The  will  for  the 
deed,  Malcolm,"  rejoined  young  neighbor  Searl. 

"We  are  all  fully  satisfied  that  the  wagon  will 
run  admirably,"  commented  Willis.  "Stella's  prov- 
ing is  quite  enough.  She  saw  you  come  in  with  it 
last  evening  and  thought  she  would  give  it  a  trial. 
Then,  too,  you  may  know,  Malcolm,  that  when 
Stiles  Morgan  turns  out  a  new  three-wheeler  every- 
body expects  it  to  have  the  latest  improvements, 
and  be  one  of  the  finest  types  of  vehicle  that  Oude- 
mon  can  produce.  My  little  mischief  of  a  sister, 
too,  must  let  all  the  neighborhood  know  about  it. 
Girls  will  be  girls." 

"I  am  glad  to  have  her  make  the  trial,"  was  my 
158 


response,  looking  smilingly  at  Stella  and  noting  the 
fine  color  her  brother's  playful  speech  had  called  to 
her  cheek.  "She  is  such  a  good  driver  I  must  have 
her  company  to-day  for  a  run  up  the  country.  I 
need  a  little  more  coaching  to  manage  so  fine  a 
machine." 

"Oh,  dear,"  said  Ellice  with  an  air  of  comic  dis- 
pleasure, "see  how  I  am  slighted." 

"Don't  grieve,  fair  maid,"  I  ventured  in  the  same 
light  vein.  "You  shall  have  your  turn  to-morrow 
or  when  you  please." 


159 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE   MINING  REGIONS GOLD  AND   SILVER. 

"But  my  little  "cousin"  was  doomed  to  wait,  for 
at  the  breakfast  table  I  found  a  note  from  Archbold 
asking  my  presence  at  his  house  that  morning,  A 
trip  into  the  mining  district  had  been  projected;  a 
small  party  made  up  and  the  hour  of  nine  set  for 
the  start.  A  large  two-seated  goalone  conveyed  the 
four  persons  in  the  company,  and  covered  the  forty 
miles  of  distance  in  two  hours  and  a  quarter.  On 
the  way  I  was  informed  that  the  "works"  we  would 
view  consisted  of  old  and  new  cuttings,  the  old 
having  been  opened  centuries  before  by  a  race  that 
had  quite  disappeared.  The  people  knew  nothing 
of  these  mines  until  after  the  great  upturn,  when 
they  were  found  and  their  product  turned  to  ac- 
count. The  region  reminded  me  of  canyons  on  a 
small  scale  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  especially  Col- 
orado, while  the  richness  of  deposit  exceeded  any- 
thing I  had  before  taken  note  of. 

Into  the  crypts  and  galleries  of  the  old  leads  we 
crept  by  a  low  narrow  fissure  in  the  rock  wall,  where 
after  lighting  lamps  we  found  ourselves  in  the  midst 
of  suggestions  of  wealth  and  magnificence  that 
would  have  fascinated  an  Aladdin.  The  rough  walls 

1 60 


gleamed  with  deposits  of  gold,  silver,  galena  and 
pyrites.  With  a  small  hammer  one  could  knock 
out  fragments  of  quartzite  containing  the  valuable 
metal  in  varied  quantity.  Great  crystals  of  amber 
tint  and  pure  white  jutted  out,  the  multifold  radi- 
ance of  which  was  dazzling,  while  the  sharp  angles 
of  the  bright  galena  added  to  the  striking  novelty 
of  the  scene. 

In  the  new  workings,  that  led  off  from  the  old  by 
a  long  natural  passage  open  to  the  sky,  were  broad 
veins  of  iron  mainly  of  the  chromate  order,  besides 
great  deposits  of  manganese  and  other  oxides  of 
value  in  the  industries  of  civilization.  Here  were 
men  engaged  in  taking  out  the  ores  and  reducing 
the  masses  to  convenient  state  for  transportation  and 
reduction.  I  noted  very  soon  that  the  method  of 
working  was  simple  and  easy.  No  low  levels  de- 
manded shafts  or  hoisting  apparatus.  They  had 
merely  to  break  out  the  ore  and  load  the  wagons 
and  run  them  down  an  inclined  way  that  had  been 
graded  smoothly  to  the  mill  and  furnaces.  The 
plant  for  crushing  and  smelting  seemed  in  every 
respect  complete.  Here  were  produced  the  com- 
binations or  alloys  of  iron,  silver,  gold,  lead, 
aluminum,  manganese,  etc.,  that  were  deemed  con- 
venient and  suitable  for  the  different  purposes  of 
the  people.  Conveniently  near  to  the  furnaces  were 
shops  with  admirable  equipment  of  tools  and  ma- 
chinery for  working  the  bars  of  metal  into  various 
articles  of  larger  form,  like  farm  and  garden  imple- 

i6i 


ments,  road-making  tools,  and  other  heavy  neces- 
saries. 

This  morning's  round  through  the  mines,  and  the 
shops  in  which  the  metals  were  converted,  an- 
swered the  question  often  at  my  tongue's  end,  why 
the  tables  of  my  new  friends  were  so  well  furnished 
with  the  essentials  and  conveniences  of  refined  liv- 
ing. I  learned  then  that  the  yellow  and  white  lines 
and  markings  that  imparted  so  much  of  variety  and 
beauty  to  their  dishes,  cups,  cutlery  and  the  hundred 
other  accessories  of  housekeeping  were  of  gold  and 
silver.  These  metals  were  to  Oudemon  eyes  not 
matters  of  ornament  so  much  as  use,  because  of  their 
ready  adaptation  to  so  many  purposes,  and  their 
freedom  from  corrosion  and  change.  Obtained  in 
such  quantity  from  the  ancient  deposits  they  had  evi- 
dently lost  the  value  in  the  esteem  of  these  people, 
if  they  ever  had  it,  which  the  outer  world  sets  upon 
them.  The  artist  and  mechanic  found  their  pleas- 
ure and  vocation  in  working  them  into  hundreds  of 
forms  responding  to  the  needs  and  convenience  of 
the  people. 

What,  on  my  first  acquaintance  I  had  thought  to 
be  a  composition  similar  to  our  brass  or  bronze,  so 
generally  was  it  found  in  dress  and  home  equip- 
ments, proved  to  be  gold  or  silver  in  various  states 
of  purity.  If  the  pins,  buckles,  hooks  or  what  not 
in  a  woman's  dress  were  of  gold  they  were  not 
affectations  for  the  sake  of  decoration,  because  ever)' 
woman  or  girl  wore  them.     The  men  by  common 

162 


consent  used  silver  or  compositions  of  that  metal 
with  aluminum,  gold  or  copper  for  buttons,  buckles, 
catches,  etc.  In  the  matter  of  design  preference  or 
taste  was  left  to  the  individual.  I  had  worn  on  my 
journey  southward  a  pair  of  sleeve-buttons  in  gold 
of  oriental  design  set  with  small  sapphires.  These 
I  gave  to  Stella,  because  she  admired  the  design — 
a  novelty  of  course  to  her.  She  used  them  to 
secure  her  trouserettes  at  the  ankle.  One  morning 
I  found  on  the  table  of  my  room  a  pair  of  silver 
clasps  set  with  stones  that  looked  like  rubies  so 
much  that  I  was  led  to  wonder  if  they  could  be 
real  stones.  After  my  return  north  Chiffany  & 
Storr  informed  me  that  they  were  true  rubies  of 
high  value.  These  clasps  I  used  to  secure  my  knee 
pants  to  my  stockings  and  was  complimented  by 
Ellice,  when  she  saw  them  for  the  first  time,  upon 
my  "good  judgment"  in  the  way  I  had  attached 
them.  Stella  had  picked  these  stones  up  when  out 
on  a  round  with  Caroline  and  Ellice,  for  the  study 
of  minerals,  and  I  learned  in  my  own  rambles  on 
the  slopes  of  the  ridges  and  into  the  mines  that 
there  were  places  where  gems  of  many  kinds 
abounded. 

An  accident  of  which  I  shall  speak  in  a  later 
chapter  revealed  in  a  startling  fashion  the  wondrous 
richness  of  that  country  in  the  "precious  things"  of 
ordinary  civilization.  Of  the  wealth  of  the  ledges 
its  fine  crystals  were  deemed  of  better  value  than  its 
garnets,  turquoises,  opals,  agate,  diamonds  and  fine 

163 


rubies,  because  of  their  uses  for  the  lenses  of  eye- 
glasses, microscopes,  telescopes,  cameras,  etc.  Col- 
lections of  minerals  were  to  be  found  in  the  schools,, 
and  in  many  houses,  being  made  by  the  young  folks 
for  pleasure  or  study.  In  the  museum  of  natural 
history  the  department  of  geology  contained  a  dis- 
play of  stones  which  according  to  the  rating  of  a 
New  York  jeweler  would  be  of  stupendous  value  in 
American  dollars. 


164 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TRADE    AND    LITERATURE. 

It  is  a  propos  in  this  place  to  mention  that  such  a 
thing  as  money  did  not  exist  among  these  people. 
They  made  no  purchases  or  sales,  as  we  practice 
them,  in  their  business  relations.  There  were  ex- 
changes constantly  of  such  commodities  or  prod- 
ucts as  were  needed — or  desired  by  one  or  another, 
but  no  payments  in  a  representative  currency  or 
even  promises.  Once  a  week  a  sort  of  market  fes- 
tival was  held  in  each  district,  and  to  this  the  people 
resorted.  All  sorts  of  articles  for  family,  house, 
farm,  school  and  other  purposes  were  taken  thither 
by  representatives  of  the  families,  and  "trades"  or 
exchanges  were  made,  it  seemed  to  me,  ad  libitum. 
It  was  a  charming  demonstration  of  an  open  recipro- 
cal communism,  the  affair  being  more  like  a  social 
festival,  it  appeared  to  me,  where  any  one  was  free 
to  help  himself,  than  a  concourse  for  business  trans- 
actions. Yet  I  found  that  a  system  of  fairness 
and  mutual  understanding  was  generally  observed 
by  all  who  took  part  in  the  market  doings. 

Once  in  three  months  a  general  fair  was  held 
in  which  the  entire  community  participated.  Then 
the  representatives  of  the  districts  brought  for  ex- 

165 


hibition  their  best  consummations.  Meetings  were 
held  in  which  affairs  that  interested  a  part  or  the 
whole  were  discussed  by  both  men  and  women. 
Here  was  the  field  in  which  propositions  from  any 
source  were  announced  and  their  utility  or  ex- 
pediency examined.  The  suggestions  obtained  in 
these  mutual  exchanges  of  view  and  experience 
were  preserved  by  the  district  councillors  and  ex- 
ploited in  their  home  centers  according  to  occasion. 
In  a  country  provided  as  this  was  with  easy  routes 
of  communication  between  the  districts  nothing  of 
importance  could  happen  without  its  being  bul- 
letined speedily,  and  thus  carried  to  the  knowledge 
of  every  house;  yet  at  these  assemblies  improve- 
ments in  industrial  methods,  new  inventions,  prod- 
ucts of  domestic  skill,  novel  preparations  of  food, 
charts  and  drawings  for  educational  purposes,  pic- 
tures in  oil,  water  color,  ink,  etc.,  and  new  books 
that  had  been  written  or  finished  in  the  interval 
since  the  last  fair  had  a  freshness  of  interest  to  all 
who  attended. 

LITERATURE    AND    AUTHORSHIP. 

The  Oudemonians  were  not  prolific  as  writers, 
and  there  was  no  great  demand  for  the  novel.  At 
the  one  fair  of  the  sort  I  attended  I  saw  only  three 
books,  one  in  manuscript  and  two  in  print,  of  a 
professed  fiction  character.  Glancing  over  the 
leaves    I    was    soon   convinced    that   their   authors 

1 66 


would  not  obtain  much  notice  in  my  own  country, 
because  of  the  regard  given  to  the  ethical  spirit  of 
their  plot  and  incidents,  "Too  finical  and  tame" 
would  be  the  criticism  of  our  reviewers,  or  "Better 
fitted  for  the  Sunday  school  than  the  general  public." 
I  had  scanned  some  of  the  story  books  on  the  tables  > 
of  certain  houses,  and  certainly  failed  to  find  much 
of  the  "dramatic"  element.  There  was  no  want 
of  tenderness  and  passion — love-making,  etc.,  but 
the  irregularities,  infelicities,  stratagems  and  in- 
fidelities that  constitute  so  much  of  the  charm  of 
great  authors  among  us  were  evidently  out  of  vogue 
here.  The  little  by-plays  of  mischief  were  so  inno- 
cent, the  mistakes  of  a  lover  in  his  infatuation  were 
so  natural,  the  conversation  so  open  and  sincere  and 
at  the  same  time  so  refined  by  a  delicate  taste,  that 
I  was  inclined  to  think  my  time  almost  wasted  in 
their  perusal.  Yet,  I  was  convinced  that  such  books 
could  lie  about  and  be  open  to  the  curious  inspec- 
tion of  girl  or  boy  and  they  would  read  in  them 
nothing  of  a  nature  to  stimulate  a  vicious  thought 
or  feed  a  prurient  fancy.  Love  was  treated  by  the 
novelist  as  a  natural  instinct  of  the  human  organ- 
ism, and  its  development  in  the  relations  of  man 
and  woman  traced  according  to  the  differential  as- 
pects of  individual  character,  as  one  would  analyze 
the  growth  of  a  flower.  At  the  same  time  the 
writer  imparted  something  of  romanticism  to  his 
incidents,  and  from  the  sources  of  his  habitual  in- 
tegrity gave  a  moral  coloring  to  the  conduct  and 

167 


expression  of  his  personages  that  inspired  thought 
of  a  pure  and  sweet  tenor. 

The  philosophical  and  essay  department  of  their 
literature  was  fairly  sustained,  as  might  be  expected 
from  the  high  ethical  tone  of  the  people.  The 
reasoning  and  speculation  of  the  writers  were  cheer- 
ful and  hopeful.  Nowhere  found  I  anything 
morbid  or  depressing.  The  rueful,  forbidding  pred- 
ications of  a  Schopenhauer,  or  Saltus  had  no  place 
in  the  library  of  Oudemon,  for  their  December 
dreariness  would  have  been  totally  inconsistent  with 
the  June-like  warmth  and  cheer  of  a  people  whose 
convictions  moral  and  religious  were  so  strongly 
knit  to  a  Providence  that  I  thought  well  character- 
ized for  them  in  the  ninety-first  Psalm  of  David. 

I  did  not  hear  of  any  censorship  over  literature 
or  press,  but  was  satisfied  that  authors  here  as  else- 
where were  voluntarily  or  unconsciously  subject 
to  the  influence  of  public  sentiment,  as  much  as 
influenced   by   their   own   moral   convictions. 

It  need  not  be  supposed  that  the  circumscribed 
geography  of  these  writers  tended  to  render  their 
work  similar  and  repetitive.  Such  was  by  no 
means  the  case.  Each  book  that  I  saw  had  its 
identity,  and  was  striking  in  point  of  character  ex- 
pression; each  member  in  the  plot  having  sharply 
distinguished  features  of  action.  I  could  not  avoid 
the  impression  that  the  author  was  drawing  from 
living  models,  and  saw  that  he  exhibited  a  mastery 
of  the  interoperation  of  faculty  that  was  far  from 

1 68 


common  among  the  writers  of  my  nation  and  of 
Europe.  Yet  such  capacity  of  representation  was 
accounted  for  clearly  enough.  First,  these  people 
lived  and  acted  naturally;  hypocrisy  and  evasion 
appeared  unknown  to  them.  Second,  with  their 
methods  of  education  was  incorporated  the  study 
of  mind  and  character,  assisted  by  that  remarkable 
scientific  proving,  the  breath  plate.  They  were 
therefore  practiced  physiogomists,  and  read 
their  "confirmations  strong,"  for  inferences  drawn 
from  eye,  nose  and  lip,  in  the  chemical  reactions  of 
the  "phaenie  solution,"  as  it  w^as  called.  Third, 
these  writers  were  very  deliberate  in  setting  their 
thoughts  on  paper.  From  the  dates  on  the  title 
pages  I  concluded  that  the  most  fertile  of  them  did 
not  give  a  book  to  the  Oudemon  public  at  shorter  in- 
tervals than  five  years.  I  did  not  wonder  therefore 
that  their  works  had  a  lasting  quality;  were  never 
dismissed  with  a  single  hasty  perusal. 

Each  of  the  districts  had  its  library,  situated 
near  the  school  center.  Opportunity  to  examine 
several  of  the  collections  showed  a  common  plan 
of  arrangement,  and  surprised  me  by  the  number 
of  paraphrases  or  translations  of  authors  reputable 
in  the  world  without.  History,  science,  art,  ethics, 
mechanics,  social  economics  were  well  represented. 
But  few  of  the  novelists  we  admire  had  place  on 
the  shelves.  The  poets,  however,  mainly  English, 
German  and  Italian  were  there,  but  for  the  most 
part   in   abridged   editions   profusely   annotated   by 

169 


home  editors.  The  labor,  intelHgence  and  good 
judgment  shown  in  these  appeared  to  me  quite  re- 
markable at  first,  and  yet  when  I  learned  that 
wTiters  here  were  estimated  by  the  thoroughness, 
truth  and  utility  of  their  writing,  and  not  according 
to  the  fertility  of  their  conceptions  and  the  rapidity 
of  production  I  was  inclined  to  regard  them  as  but 
the  consistent  outcomes  of  the  thought  and  time 
given  them.  The  most  of  the  story  or  romance 
titles  were  of  a  nature  relating  to  the  early  history 
of  the  country,  and  I  could  well  believe  that  the 
incidents  dressed  in  picturesque  language  were  en- 
tirely true  of  the  men  and  women  who  constituted 
the  first  two  or  three  colony  groups. 

To  my  inquiry  it  was  answered  that  there  was 
no  special  literary  class,  no  "blue  stockings"  in 
Oudemon;  any  one  could  write  who  felt  the  draw- 
ing of  the  muse,  and  they  who  exhibited  talent  in 
the  use  of  language  as  writers  or  speakers  were 
encouraged  to  practice  and  develop  their  powers. 
The  district  bulletins  were  the  media  of  publica- 
tion of  sketches,  poems,  articles,  etc.,  of  the  younger 
authors,  while  at  the  social  gatherings  the  mature 
and  experienced  read  or  exploited  in  address  their 
later  thought,  and  discussed  the  literary  topics  that 
obtained  common  attention. 

A    LITERARY    DEFECT     (?) 

I  noted  one  seeming  defect  in  the  library  col- 
170 


lections,  that  there  were  no  theological  treatises, 
or  Bible  commentaries,  while  of  books  essentially 
religious  in  tone  there  were  many.  Expressing 
my  surprise  to  one  of  the  older  men  he  told  me 
that  the  founder  of  the  colony  brought  no  books 
of  the  kind  into  the  country,  and  was  of  the  opin- 
ion that  they  inspired  too  much  controversy,  and 
thus  contributed  to  dissension  and  strife  among 
people  who  should  be  united  in  so  important  a  mat- 
ter as  belief  and  trust  in  the  infinite  God  and  Father 
of  Men.  "The  discussion  of  credal  propositions," 
this  elder  went  on  to  say,  "had  split  Christendom 
into  a  thousand  sects  or  phases  of  religious  opinion, 
and  had  any  good  come  out  of  it?  The  conten- 
tions and  quarrels  of  people  who  professed  to  be 
followers  of  the  INIaster  of  truth  and  life  were  un- 
ending, and  embittered  class  against  class,  com- 
munity against  community.  From  religion  men 
thought  to  obtain  peace,  sympathy  and  happiness; 
instead,  they  drew  enmity,  rancor  and  malice.  Cer- 
tainly Christ,  as  exemplifying  God's  purpose  and 
dealing  toward  men,  never  intended  that  belief  in 
Him  should  divide  mankind,  but  unite  them  in  a 
common  brotherhood.  The  teaching  of  His  gospel 
emphasizes  this,  and  its  terms  are  so  clear  as  to 
require  no  ponderous  volumes  for  their  interpre- 
tation." 


171 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

RELIGION    MADE    MUTUAL. 

In  my  talks  with  the  older  men  and  women  it 
was  evident  that  they  were  not  bound  by  any  dog- 
matic rule  or  opinion  on  points  of  religious  prac- 
tice, but  their  common  agreement  seemed  to  me 
remarkable  in  accepting  one  great  Overruler  and 
Guide  in  the  universe.  The  New  Testament  was 
their  Compendium  of  Faith,  deference  being  given 
especially  to  the  teaching  and  life  of  Christ  as  the 
model  for  their  following.  There  was  no  priest 
or  clerical  class  among  them,  the  older  men  and 
women  being  given  precedence  at  their  meetings 
for  Scripture  reading  and  exercises  of  devotion. 
No  set  discourse  or  sermon  was  delivered;  instead 
a  serious  conversation  occupying  an  hour  or  so 
engaged  attention.  The  question  or  topic  for  this 
conversation  was  suggested  at  the  meeting  before 
it  was  taken  up,  and  also  announced  early  in  the  dis- 
trict bulletin.  In  the  home  group  or  hacienda  talks 
on  religious  matters  were  of  almost  daily  occur- 
rence, and  at  table  meals  were  prefaced  by  an  in- 
vocation of  divine  blessing,  the  members  of  the 
household  even  to  the  children  taking  turn  in  the 
brief  appeal. 

172 


Further,  a  practice  had  grown  up  with  them  in 
later  years  that  seemed  to  be  especially  beautiful, 
although  it  might  remind  of  Oriental  formalism. 
Every  day  at  five  o'clock  or  rather  seventeen  hours. 
a  low  toned  bell  was  sounded  from  every  district 
tower,  and  the  people,  wherever  they  might  be  at 
once  bowed  with  uncovered  head,  and  slowly  recited 
aloud  the  prayer  given  by  Jesus  to  his  disciples. 
The  mechanic  laid  down  his  tool,  the  gardener 
stopped  in  the  row,  the  student  or  writer  put  aside 
his  book  or  pen,  the  housewife  ceased  to  sew  or 
knit,  the  man  on  the  road  stopped  his  wagon,  the 
children  turned  from  their  play,  and  scarcely  had 
the  mellow  clang  of  the  thrice-struck  bell  died  away 
ere  all  were  in  reverent  attitude,  and  the  grand 
words  of  the  grandest  of  petitions  in  harmonious 
intonation  rolled  through  the  quiet  air. 

IN    A    RELIGIOUS    GATHERING. 

At  home  I  was  connected  with  old  St.  George's, 
often  attending  in  company  with  my  mother,  the 
services  presided  over  by  the  Reverend  Doctor  Syl- 
vanus  Fichet,  a  representative  of  the  broadest  cult 
of  that  much  phased  division  of  the  Protestant  body. 
The  well  intoned  responses  and  excellently  rendered 
music  were,  I  think,  appreciated,  if  not  the  brief 
discourse  and  formal  pronouncement  of  the  prayers 
always ;  yet  like  Jim  Bludso  'T  didn't  go  much  on 
religion"  as  it  was  commonly  observed  in  my  circle 
of   acquaintance.     Among   these  people,   however, 

^7Z 


I  found  myself  taking  part  in  their  devotional  prac- 
tices almost  unconsciously.  In  spite  of  the  evolu- 
tionary sophists  man  has  a  spiritual  side  by  natural 
endowment  and  when  appealed  to  normally  there  is 
a  response  of  religious  feeling,  that  can  scarcely  be 
repressed  by  any  materialistic  notions  that  one  may 
have  imbibed.  When  a  guest  of  the  Romans  one 
might  be  expected  to  do  after  their  manner,  whether 
or  not  a  custom  accorded  with  one's  conviction. 
Here  in  Oudemon  the  earnest,  open  sincerity  of 
religious  and  moral  life  struck  home  at  once,  and 
challenged  imitation  of  the  habits  and  practices  of 
the  people  so  forcibly  that  I  did  not  spend  much 
time  in  reflection  on  their  necessity  or  reasonable- 
ness. They  were  so  consistent  with  the  preva- 
lent spirit  that  I  was  soon  persuaded  of  their  pro- 
priety and  excellence,  and  sacrificed  no  personal 
belief  or  scruple  in  their  observance. 

The  first  day  of  the  week  was  the  customary 
time  for  gathering  in  the  halls  for  the  religious  con- 
ference. I  say  halls,  but  a  large  court  would  be 
more  accurate,  as  the  assembly  was  in  the  open, 
unless  the  weather  were  rainy  or  windy.  Each 
district  had  its  place  of  meeting  and  the  assembly 
being  always  large  it  was  divided  into  sections,  after 
a  general  opening  in  which  the  people  sang,  and 
such  announcements  were  made  as  were  of  com- 
mon interest.  At  this  general  opening  people 
greeted  each  other  in  cordial,  fraternal  style  and 
exchanged  remarks  concerning  family  afifairs,  and 

174 


inquired  about  the  absent.     At  one  of  the  confer- 
ences a  brother,  whom  I  had  not  met  before,  said : 

"Perhaps  our  friend  from  the  far  North  would 
like  to  ask  a  question."  As  he  spoke  he  turned 
and  looked  toward  me.  The  people,  however,  in- 
stead of  following  his  motion  as  by  a  common 
impulse  and  craning  their  necks  to  obtain  a  view 
of  me,  continued  looking  at  him.  The  speaker's 
kind  manner  encouraged  me  to  find  voice  in  a  query 
that  had  been  running  in  my  mind  that  morning  as 
I  rode  toward  the  unroofed  temple  of  worship. 
Thanking  the  worthy  speaker  for  his  attention,  I 
remarked  that  I  should  ask  a  question  in  the  hope 
that  it  would  not  be  out  of  place  there,  and  that  my 
candor  must  be  my  excuse  for  what  might  seem 
to  many  the  utterance  of  a  very  simple  matter,  and 
which,  nevertheless,  involved  much  of  concern  to 
me,  whose  spiritual  associations  had  been  from 
childhood  of  a  very  different  character  from  theirs. 
As  I  spoke  every  eye  now  turned  toward  me.  Over 
at  the  right  leaning  against  a  small  tulip  tree  stood 
Ellice;  glancing  that  way  I  noticed  that  the  girl 
was  regarding  me  with  face  half  averted,  yet  the 
flush  on  her  cheek  and  the  parted  lips  were  indica- 
tive of  her  close  attention  to  what  I  was  saying. 

"Down  here  in  this  charming  reserve  of  nature," 
I  continued,  "you,  my  friends,  have  made  progress 
in  things  both  material  and  spiritual.  With  a  be- 
ginning of  singular  auspices  you  have  been  wise  and 
fortunate  in  putting  away  many  influences  of  a  de- 

175 


pressing  and  injurious  nature  that  are  tolerated  or 
even  cultivated  in  the  great  North.  You  have  pro- 
tected the  simple  and  pure,  and  have  grown  into  a 
condition  of  mental  harmony  and  strength,  of  ro- 
bust and  elastic  vitality,  of  psychic  and  spiritual 
susceptibility  and  expansion  that  would  rejoice  the 
heart  of  every  one  in  the  great  outer  world  who 
believes  earnestly  in  the  upward  trend  of  human 
nature,  when  the  environment  intimates  that  the 
community  truly  desires  to  grow  into  a  higher 
sphere  of  being.  I  believe  from  what  I  see  that  your 
development  has  been  due  greatly  to  the  ingrafting 
of  religious  truth  and  practice  in  your  every-day 
habits." 

There  was  a  general  nodding  of  heads  at  this 
statement,  many  of  the  elders  saying:  "Yes,  you 
are  right,  brother  Malcolm."     I  went  on : 

"One  could  scarcely  fail  in  the  inference  who 
knows  aught  of  the  effect  of  a  sincere  religious 
emotion  upon  character.  Well,  am  I  to  infer  that 
you  owe  your  present  uplift  to  any  special  revela- 
tion of  the  Divine  will,  or  simply  to  a  powerful 
leadership  whose  influence  still  remains  as  an  abid- 
ing element  in  your  souls,  and  is  working  out  its 
holy  and  wonderful  evolution  in  your  common 
life?" 

These  remarks  were  followed  by  a  profound  si- 
lence that  lasted  fully  three  minutes,  when  a  deep, 
penetrating  voice  at  some  distance  from  where  I 
stood  broke  upon  the  ear.     Turning  in  its  direction 

176 


I  saw  that  the  speaker  was,  hke  the  other,  quite  un- 
known, but,  from  his  white  hair,  one  of  the  Nestors 
of  the  State. 

"I  may  be  permitted,  dear  friends  and  children," 
he  said,  "to  answer  our  stranger  friend,  for  you 
know  I  was  one  of  the  early-born  after  the 
settlement  made  here  by  our  fathers  and  mothers. 
We  have  had  no  special  revelation,  aside  from  the 
beautiful  and  lovely  results  of  our  effort  to  follow 
the  teaching  of  this  lamp  of  life"  (taking  from  his 
pocket  an  old,  worn  copy  of  the  Bible  that  I  was 
sure  had  never  been  printed  in  Oudemon).  "We 
have  had  no  great  leader  aside  from  the  divine  one, 
who  came  so  many  generations  ago  to  disclose  the 
will  of  God  to  a  whole  world.  If  the  outcome  in 
the  order  of  our  community  and  people  from  an 
effort  to  worship  the  Creator  and  Father  of  the 
Universe  in  all  simiplicity  and  sincerity,  and  to  join 
an  earnest  obedience  to  his  benevolent  law  in  our 
active  life,  in  our  relations  to  each  other,  be  what 
our  young  brother  terms  an  evolution,  let  it  be  so. 
Yet  what  is  our  condition  to-day,  children,  but  that 
which  this  manual  of  righteousness  and  hope  de- 
clares shall  and  must  be  as  the  necessary  result  of 
obedience  to  the  will  of  our  Father,  Infinite  and  Gra- 
cious. 

"I  remember  how  the  excellent  man,  John  Roser, 
who  was,  you  all  know,  in  tlie  first  company  that 
crossed  the  broad  river,  and  ascended  to  this  smil- 
ing level,  was  accustomed  in  his  last  years  to  ad- 

177 


dress  us  in  the  words  of  St.  John :  'Little  children, 
love  one  another,'  and  it  was  little  by  little  that  the 
spirit  of  his  admonition  took  possession  of  our 
hearts.  Especially  after  that  great  and  strange  con- 
vulsion that  isolated  us  from  the  world — and  I  was 
a  mere  youth  then — did  the  truth  and  force  of  this 
counsel  become  clear  and  drew  us  closer.  We 
studied  together  the  lessons  and  example  of  the 
Master  and  found  them  full  of  this  principle,  and  its 
trial  in  our  every-day  conduct  realized  the  promises 
He  has  made  of  blessing.  Could  a  foundation  for 
happy  and  contented  living  be  broader  than  that  in 
which  the  appreciative  practice  of  brotherhood 
among  men  is  hinged  upon  a  strong  belief  in  the 
fatherhood  of  our  God?  This  is  the  warm  atmos- 
phere in  which  we  have  come  to  live,  with  its  sweet 
influence  to  warm  our  hearts  to  the  habitual  ex- 
pression of  kind  words,  generous  feelings  and  warm 
welcomes  for  each  other.  Ah,  we  are  not  schooled 
in  doctrinal  distinctions;  nor  do  we  wish  to  be;  it 
is  union,  agreement,  mutual  support  that  are  dear 
to  us,  and  we  are  content  to  rest  upon  the  great 
truth  of  the  one  Almighty  Father  of  our  spirits 
and  His  regard  for  His  trusting  children.  Have 
we  not  prospered,  dear  friends,  in  everything  de- 
sirable by  adopting  this?"  A  loud  burst  of  approval 
answered  the  elder's  question.  "And  are  there  many 
among  us  who  would  exchange  the  life  of  mutual 
sympathy  and  interest  here,  the  calm  and  happy  cur- 
rent of  industry  and  affectionate  companionship,  for 

178 


the  uncertain,  hasty  and  irregular  ways  of  the  world 
beyond  those  ridges?" 

"No,  no,  no,"  came  in  prolonged  and  emphatic 
repetition  from  the  attentive  throng,  while  eyes 
filled  with  tenderness  and  hands  grasped  hands  in 
earnest  clasp.  My  own  eyes  became  thick  with 
moisture  as  I  listened  to  the  sage,  and  emotions  were 
stirred  that  no  other  assembly  had  before  awakened. 
I  could  not  refrain  from  exclaiming:  "I  am  an- 
swered, venerable  father  and  Christian  apostle; 
you  have  given  me  a  complete  demonstration."  The 
next  moment  two  warm  hands  clasped  mine,  and 
Ellice  spoke :  "Dear  ]\Ialcolm,  you  know  now  what 
we  are  like,  don't  you?"  There  was  a  tone  of  yearn- 
ing in  that  voice  that  went  to  my  heart's  depth,  and 
I  longed  to  return  the  sweet  pressure,  but  in  that 
atmosphere  my  conscience  was  quickened  to  a  strong 
expression  of  honesty.  I  could  not  do  that  which 
I  believed  to  be  unreasonably  if  not  clearly  wrong, 
I  could  not  encourage  feelings,  however  delightful, 
that  would  not  find  realization.  Only  sincerity  and 
frankness  should  mark  my  conduct  thereafter  in 
Oudemon.  Was  I  not  there  on  honor  ?  Looking  in 
the  face  of  the  beautiful  young  woman  whose  breast 
undulated  with  the  fervor  of  her  emotion,  I  re- 
plied : 

"Yes,  Ellice,  if  all  here  are  like  you  what  a 
heaven  it  must  be  into  which  I  have  fallen."  Then, 
with  a  gentle  pressure  I  released  my  hands  and 
turned  to  others  who  were  near  and  who  had  al- 
ready greeted  me. 

1/9 


CHAPTER  XV. 


A  WEAPON   OF  DESTRUCTION. 


While  reading  in  my  room  after  breakfast,  a 
few  days  later,  I  heard  confused  cries  and  the  rustle 
of  wings  as  of  many  birds  in  great  excitement. 
Looking  toward  a  window,  I  saw  a  dozen  or  more 
flit  by,  and  was  about  to  throw  aside  the  book  and 
go  to  the  window,  when  Stella  burst  in. 

''Cousin  Malcolm,  a  great,  monstrous  bird  has 
entered  our  district  and  is  flying  this  way.  Come 
right  down,  will  you  not?" 

Going  down,  I  found  most  of  the  family  on  the 
grounds  in  the  rear  of  the  house.  To  my  look  of 
inquiry  Jasper  replied :  "We  have  just  heard  that 
an  oura  has  entered  the  country,  coming  down  from 
the  southeast.  Once  in  a  while  a  visit  of  the  kind 
occurs.  It  is  a  very  large,  powerful  and  rapacious 
creature,  and  might  do  much  damage,  especially  by 
killing  hundreds  of  our  birds,  if  not  driven  away 
or  destroyed  soon.  You  see  how  they  are  flying  in 
this  direction;  that  shows  that  the  unwelcome  vis- 
itor is  heading  toward  us." 

The  bird  tumult  seemed  to  increase.  I  never  saw 
before  or  since  such  a  panic ;  it  was  a  veritable  hur- 
ricane of  flying  feathers.    Orioles,  toucans,  finches, 

i8o 


ravens,  humming  birds,  parrots,  swallows,  tana- 
gers,  francolins,  or  pheasants,  and  others  I  could  not 
name  mingling  their  brilliant  colors  in  a  flashing 
mesh  and  uttering  their  peculiar  notes  of  alarm  and 
warning.  ]\'lultitudes  had  already  settled  in  the 
trees  and  shrubbery  of  the  grounds,  evidently  ex- 
pecting safety  in  nearness  to  their  human  friends. 

"You  think,  then,  Jasper,  that  it  will  come  near 
us?"  I  asked,  while  studying  the  bird  panorama. 
"In  all  probability.  This  visitor  is  very  bold. 
Although  several  have  been  killed,  they  do  not  seem 
to  learn  much  from  experience,  for  two  or  three 
times  a  year  one  ventures  down.  They  fly  well  in 
the  air,  swooping  down  to  strike  their  prey,  and  it 
does  not  seem  to  matter  if  there  are  men  near  by. 
One  has  been  known  to  attempt  to  strike  a  child,  and 
when  intent  upon  its  quarry  will  fight  a  dozen  men. 
We  value  our  birds  highly,  as  you  know,  and  so  en- 
deavor to  protect  them  from  their  enemies,  but 
such  a  creature  as  this  is  dangerous  in  other  re- 
spects and  must  be  treated  as  a  public  enemy." 
"What  are  you  going  to  do,  Jasper?" 
"I  think  we  shall  leave  that  to  Willis." 
Turning  to  the  young  man,  I  saw  now  that  he 
held  in  one  hand  what  appeared  to  be  a  rod  of  pol- 
ished metal  a  yard  or  so  long,  about  an  inch  in  diam- 
eter, but  on  examination  I  found  it  to  be  a  tube  with 
one  end  expanded  and  flattened,  but  closed,  and  so 
molded  as  to  fit  the  shoulder.  Near  the  middle  of 
the  tube  was  a  button-like  projection,  and  near  this 

i8i 


an  adjustable  or  sliding  handle.  On  the  whole,  it 
was  an  odd  looking  article,  a  sort  of  gun,  I  suspect- 
ed, but  quite  without  the  menacing  look  of  our  civ- 
ilized rifles  and  fowling  pieces. 

"Do  you  expect  to  do  anything  with  that  little  af- 
fair, Willis?"  I  asked.  "You  ought  to  have  one  of 
our  revolving  or  magazine  guns." 

He  laughed :  "Well,  Malcolm,  I  shall  do  the  best 
I  can  with  this  little  affair." 

"Is  it  loaded?" 

"Yes." 

Taking  from  his  pocket  a  cartridge-like  cylin- 
der about  four  inches  long,  he  continued :  "This 
will  stop  the  fellow,  probably,  in  his  bold  career,  if 
the  one  in  the  tube — we  call  it  'impeller' — misses." 

Examining  the  cartridge  for  a  moment,  it  ap- 
peared to  be  of  thin  metal  filled  with  a  light  sub- 
stance, as  the  whole  could  not  have  weighed  more 
than  two  ounces.  One  end  was  rounded,  the  other 
flat,  with  a  small  aperture  in  the  center.  I  was  ex- 
amining this  cartridge,  when  Jasper  said  quietly: 
"There!"  raising  his  hand  in  a  southerly  direction. 
Handing  the  cartridge  to  Willis,  I  turned  and  saw 
through  the  openings  of  the  trees  what  to  my  eyes 
was  a  great  bird  indeed.  Apparently  he  was  at  an 
elevation  of  two  hundred  feet,  so  that  the  taller 
trees  of  the  region  were  for  the  most  part  cleared 
as  he  came  on,  moving  easily,  the  even  sweeps  of 
the  great  wings  impelling  him  with  astonishing 
speed.     The  blue-brown  and  gray  feathers  of  his 

182 


head  shone  in  the  sunhght  as  he  sailed  majestically 
on,  the  serpent-like  head  turning  now  this  side  and 
then  that,  as  if  on  the  alert  for  a  quarry.  It  was 
not  more  than  two  minutes  from  my  first  view  when 
he  had  swooped  overhead,  shooting  downward  as 
if  he  had  marked  his  prey  a  little  beyond  our  sta- 
tion. Willis  at  the  exclamation  of  father  Bruce 
had  raised  the  tube  to  his  shoulder  and  aimed  it  at 
the  bird,  following  its  movement,  sportsmanlike,  as 
he  could  over  the  trees.  Suddenly  a  low  snap,  an 
instant  later  an  explosion,  with  a  burst  of  flame  and 
white  smoke  that  seemed  to  envelop  the  bird  and 
quickly  cleared  away.  A  faint  scream  of  rage  and 
pain  followed,  a  scuffling  of  wings  and  feathers  and 
a  heavy  fall  upon  the  graveled  roadside. 

"No  need  of  a  second,  my  son,"  broke  in  the  fath- 
er, as  we  all  hastened  to  see  the  result  of  the  shot. 
There  lay  the  ruins  of  a  great  bird  of  the  condor 
species  that  must  have  been  the  match  for  an  un- 
armed man  in  a  fight.  His  feathers  were  almost  de- 
stroyed, the  skin  at  parts  burnt  to  a  cinder;  head, 
neck  and  limbs  torn  and  twisted  into  a  mesh  of  flesh 
and  bone. 

"You  made  short  work  of  the  intruder,  Willis," 
I  ventured  in  my  first  surprise.  "A  battle  howitzer- 
firing  shrapnel  could  not  have  been  more  thorough. 
It  must  be  a  very  destructive  explosive  that  is  se- 
creted in  the  cartridge  you  use." 

"Yes,  something  like  the  composition  used  in  the 
mine  blasts,  cousin ;  but  quicker  in  action.     In  fact, 

183 


I  made  a  little  mistake  about  distance.  You  see  this 
sliding  pin?" — showing  me  the  fresh  cartridge — 
"by  adjusting  this  we  set  the  moment  of  explosion. 
You  notice  the  cross  lines  along  the  track  the  pin 
travels?  Each  one  means  the  one-hundredth  of  a 
second,  and  as  the  average  flight  of  a  cartridge  like 
this  with  the  pressure  given  in  the  tube  is  three 
thousand  feet  in  a  second,  for  three  and  a  half  sec- 
onds I  can  set  the  time  for  the  explosion  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  distance  of  the  object.  I  set  the 
cartridge  this  time  at  eight,  intending  to  fire  when 
the  bird  was  about  250  feet  distant.  He  must  have 
been  265.  Yet,  as  the  explosive  matter  of  the  bolt 
usually  fills  a  space  of  thirty  feet  in  diameter,  its 
effect  was  sufficient  to  kill  him  in  a  second  or  two." 

Taking  the  tube  in  my  hands,  I  said :  "This  is 
somewhat  on  the  principle  of  an  air  gun,  I  suspect." 

"Yes,  Malcolm,  as  you  think;  only  the  earth  gas 
is  used,  because  it  expands  with  much  greater  force, 
besides  developing  heat  enough  to  ignite  the  matter 
in  the  cartridge  which  sets  off  the  explosive  compo- 
sition." 

"Is  that  anj^thing  like  d3^namite?" 

"Analogous,  but  a  mixture  of  salts  and  inflam- 
mable liquid  much  less  dangerous  to  handle,  and 
really,  I  think,  more  powerful  when  exploded." 

"It  is  indeed,  cousin  Willis,  the  most  destructive 
thing  I  ever  saw,  and  yet  the  cartridge  is  innocent 
looking  enough.  What  an  acquisition  the  knowl- 
edge of  its  properties  would  be  to  our  Government 

184 


at  home,  both  on  the  score  of  economy  and  as  a 
means  of  defence  or  offence  in  war!  Have  your 
people  ever  had  any  trouble  with  your  neighbors?" 

DIFFERENCES    OF    POLICY^    PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE, 

Willis  looked  at  me  in  a  curious  fashion.  We 
were  alone  there  by  the  roadside,  the  others  of  the 
party  having  returned  to  the  house,  taking  the  dead 
bird  away  with  them.    At  length  he  said : 

"I  don't  remember,  or  know,  of  any  trouble  with 
our  neighbors,  Malcolm.  When  our  forefathers 
and  foremothers  came  here  they  had  already  ob- 
tained a  grant  of  territory  from  the  Portuguese,  and 
besides,  they  purchased  from  the  native  Indians  all 
the  land  and  more  now  under  our  control.  Before 
the  great  upheaval  of  the  ridges,  our  historians  say, 
our  difficulties  were  mostly  with  the  wild  beasts  and 
the  primitive  rudeness  of  the  land." 

"Well,  I  must  insist  that  with  such  a  weapon  as 
that  in  the  hands  of  active,  skilful  men  like  you, 
Willis,  no  enemy  could  stand  before  you.  A  knowl- 
edge of  its  construction  and  of  the  manufacture  of 
such  cartridges  as  it  throws  with  so  much  velocity 
and  to  distances  so  accurately  measured " 

"Ten  thousand  yards  and  more " 

"Would  be  worth  millions  to  any  man  in  my 
country." 

"Would  you  care  to  know  about  these  things, 
Malcolm,  with  such  an  idea  of  using  them?"  in- 

185 


quired  the  young  fellow,  a  deeply  serious  look  com- 
ing upon  his  face. 

I  laughed :  "No,  Willis ;  no,  indeed.  I  would  not 
carry  such  a  horrible  secret  home — horrible,  you 
know,  I  mean  in  the  sense  of  its  employment  to  de- 
stroy my  fellow  men — however  much  it  might  be 
valued  by  our  Government.  I  am  not  a  friend  to 
war  or  militarism.  There  are  many  statesmen 
among  us,  however,  who  profess  to  think  that  big 
armies  and  great  guns  preserve  the  world's  peace." 

"It  must  be  strange  argument,  Malcolm,  that 
supports  such  a  view,  and  only  the  argument  of  force 
and  oppression.  I  have  heard  that  in  your  country, 
where  much  claim  is  made  to  popular  freedom,  and 
in  Europe  also,  there  are  many  practices  that  serve 
to  make  the  most  precious  thing  to  man — life — ■ 
cheap  and  inconsequent.  Think  of  your  political 
contests,  sectional  quarrels,  social  and  individual 
habits,  diseases,  customs  and  general  opinions  that 
increase  so  amazingly  your  mortality.  We  can 
scarcely  believe  the  reports  that  come  to  us,  or  com- 
prehend the  intelligence  of  your  people  with  respect 
to  life,  so  easily  on  occasion  does  murder,  suicide 
and  death  seem  to  occur.  I  hope,  dear  cousin,  it  is 
far  from  true  what  I  have  heard  in  this  line." 

The  earnestness  of  the  young  man,  several  years 
my  junior,  impressed  me  strongly. 

"I  regret  to  say,  Willis,  that  you  do  not  overstate 
the  facts.  In  our  country  an  amazing  anomaly 
stands  prominently  in  view.     On  the  one  hand,  so- 

i86 


ciety  is  seen  going  to  great  lengths  in  caring  for 
the  young  and  old,  charitably  and  officially  main- 
taining a  great  system  of  public  education,  provid- 
ing hospitals  and  numerous  institutions  for  the  sick 
and  poor  and  homeless,  doing  everything  suggested 
by  science  and  philanthropy  to  promote  the  health 
and  growth  of  the  young  and  the  comfort  of  the 
old,  no  matter  what  the  expense  and  trouble;  and 
on  the  other  hand  permitting  and  in  divers  ways 
fostering  many  abuses  and  malign  influences  that 
prey  upon  health  and  morals,  and  directly  or  in- 
directly degrade  and  kill  vast  numbers." 

"I  have  heard  Archbold  talk  of  his  experiences 
abroad,  Malcolm,  and  it  has  astonished  us  that  your 
wise  and  great  men — you  have  many  of  them,  cer- 
tainly— do  not  join  to  suppress  the  evils  your  peo- 
ple suffer.  Archbold  noted  that  your  best  people 
appeared  to  admire  greatly  men  whose  chief  dis- 
tinction was  war  and  to  manage  expeditions  that 
were  intended  to  carry  death  and  destruction  into 
countries  and  among  people  that  were  much  weaker 
than  yours.  I  have  heard  that  your  science  and  in- 
vention that  concerned  weapons  for  the  wholesale 
killing  of  human  beings  received  more  consideration 
and  reward  than  any  other  kind  of  mental  work  and 
industry.  How  strange  this  is !  How  very  remark- 
able, when  you  have  the  same  Master  who  came  to 
teach  man  how  to  live,  and  who  emphasized  the 
value  of  life  in  many  ways  for  usefulness,  growth 
of  the  soul  and  happiness." 

187 


Wondering  if  this  young  fellow  were  but  a  sam- 
ple of  the  junior  population  of  the  country,  I  re- 
marked absently : 

"You  have  obtained  your  information,  then,  in 
that  way,  Willis  ?" 

"Yes,  cousin ;  our  Archbold  is  one  of  the  few  who 
care  to  go  out  of  Oudemon,  and  he  does  so  to  study 
foreign  countries  and  find  what  may  be  of  use  to 
us." 

"I  am  thinking  that  you  do  not  get  much " 

"Oh,  yes,  some  things  are  reported  that  we  find 
really  valuable.  The  composition  of  dynamite,  for 
instance,  was  learned  not  long  ago,  and  our  chem- 
ists have  improved  upon  it  and  obtained  the  sub- 
stances we  use  for  mining  and  other  purposes.  Then 
we  have  gotten  ideas  in  education,  in  agriculture,  in 
our  manufactures  of  cloth,  and  so  on." 

"But,  Willis,  while  you  acknowledge  indebted- 
ness to  us  for  one  thing  or  another,  you  have  made 
great  advances  for  yourselves,  and  I  think  really 
outdo  us  in  most  of  those  things  that  we  take  pride 
in." 

"Archbold  says  that  your  people,  cousin  Malcolm, 
have  grand  ideas  and  purposes  in  various  lines,  but 
do  not  carry  them  all  out,  especially  the  best  of  them 
that  have  relation  to  the  advancement  of  the  com- 
munity in  moral  conduct  and  right  views  of  life. 
Ideas  and  propositions  having  reference  to  science, 
business,  trade,  political  expansion,  gain  and  indi- 
vidual importance  absorb  attention,  and  great  efforts 

i88 


are  made  to  put  them  in  practice.  Thus,  some  of 
your  people  accumulate  immense  stores  of  what  you 
call  wealth,  and  control  great  tracts  of  land,  while 
the  masses  are  kept  poor  and  their  morals  degraded 
or  neglected.  Oh,  if  they  would  only  introduce  the 
Royal  Law  and  the  practices  that  naturally  flow 
from  it,  how  soon  there  would  come  a  change,  and 
the  injustice,  vice  and  misery,  so  widespread,  would 
soon  begin  to  disappear." 

"Your  Royal  Law  may  operate  wonderfully  down 
here,  my  dear  Willis,  but  among  us  no  idealistic 
theories  could  have  effect.  Our  legislators  and 
economists  would  sneer  at  any  attempt  to  introduce 
a  system  of  ethics  like  yours." 

"Why,  Malcolm,"  returned  the  young  man,  his 
fine  eyes  sparkling,  "are  not  our  people  of  the  same 
race-stock  as  yours?  And  our  grandfathers  were 
idealists,  but  practical,  solid  willed  men," 

"And  very  happily  caught  on  a  principle  that  in 
its  application  has  turned  out  most  successfully.  I 
should  like  to  know,  Willis,  more  about  the  work- 
ing of  your  declaration  of  rights  or  this  Royal  Law. 
Well,  Jabber,  what  now?" 

My  four-armed  servant  had  been  jerking  at  my 
coat  just  then,  and,  turning  to  him,  found  that  he 
had  a  folded  paper  in  one  paw,  which  he  held  up, 
the  usual  preposterous  grin  illuminating  his  wrin- 
kled features. 

Opening  the  missive,  I  read  aloud : 


189 


"A  few  days  since  our  brother  Malcolm  intimat- 
ed a  wish  to  visit  the  House  of  Hope;  if  he  will 
meet  me  at  the  twin  bay  tree,  near  the  council  hall 
of  district  seventeen,  at  ten  hours,  I  will  pilot  him 
to  that  resting  place  of  our  happy  ones,  who  await 
the  final  restoration,  as  I  have  occasion  to  visit 
friends  in  the  adjoining  district  twenty-one. 

"Archbold/^ 

"It  is  time  you  were  on  the  way,  cousin.  Let  me 
fetch  up  your  goalone  while  you  get  ready." 

"Thank  you,  my  dear  boy.  I'll  fix  up  a  little  and 
be  down  in  a  minute,"  and  off  I  rushed  to  do  the 
necessary  for  the  journey. 


190 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE     MAUSOLEUM. 

On  a  natural  mound  stood  this  House  of  Hope,  a 
great  building  for  Oudemon,  125  feet  in  diameter 
and  85  feet  in  height  to  the  deep  frieze  that  im- 
parted a  Doric  effect  to  the  massive  wall  of  concrete 
blocks.  At  the  height  of  ten  feet  this  wall  was 
pierced  by  a  row  of  circular  windows  three  feet  in 
diameter,  set  at  a  distance  of  about  fifteen  feet  apart. 
Forty  feet  up,  or  nearly  midway,  was  another  series 
of  windows,  diamond  in  shape  and  three  feet  in  cen- 
tral breadth.  Another  series  of  openings  a  few  feet 
below  the  frieze  ran  around  the  structure;  these 
were  oval  in  form,  the  short  or  horizontal  breadth 
being  five  feet.  Two  porticoes  reared  on  the  east 
and  west  sides,  with  Doric  columns  supporting  roofs 
thirty  feet  high  over  platforms  twenty-five  feet  in 
breadth  and  forty  feet  long,  gave  dignity  to  the 
wide  archways  that  formed  the  entrances.  There 
were  no  doors. 

Passing  in,  I  found  a  spacious  room  centrally 
situated,  the  coolness  of  which  in  contrast  to  the 
warm  outside  air  was  marked.  Chairs  and  benches 
of  tulip  wood  and  mahogany  stood  about.  On  one 
side  a  low  table,  massively  built  and  finely  carved, 

191 


intimated  some  form  of  ceremonial.  The  shape  of 
this  room  was  oval,  the  long  diameter  at  right  angles 
to  the  line  of  entrance.  Numerous  openings  gave 
admission  to  broad  passages  that  radiated  in  as 
many  directions  toward  the  outer  wall.  These 
passages  were  open  to  tlie  roof,  which  was  con- 
structed of  a  series  of  diaphragms,  one  above  the 
other,  until  a  wide  central  disk  surmounted  them 
all.  The  lower  margin  of  each  diaphragm  extend- 
ed over  its  next  neighbor  below,  a  space  being  left 
between  of  several  feet,  thus  affording  light  and 
ventilation  in  addition  to  the  windows.  As  one 
stood  in  a  passage  and  looked  upward  he  saw  three 
windows  of  different  form  break  the  line  of  wall, 
and  overhead  he  saw  the  central  diaphragm  in  full 
view,  its  polished  metal  glistening  in  the  light  and 
being  pierced  by  a  large  stellar  opening  glazed  with 
immense  sheets  of  blue-white  mica.  The  effect  was 
decidedly  impressive. 

On  each  side  of  a  passage  built  of  composite  metal 
in  heavy  open  or  grill  work  was  a  line  of  stall  or 
cell-like  spaces  two  feet  or  more  wade  and  seven 
feet  long  and  perhaps  two  feet  high.  Tier  after  tier 
of  these  rose  to  the  roof,  all  being  accessible  by 
galleries  of  open  framework  set  at  convenient  ele- 
vations. An  aromatic  odor  pervaded  the  building. 
This  was  the  mausoleum  of  Oudemon,  where  the 
dead  were  placed  for  final  rest. 

I  had  entered  the  silent  building  alone,  for  Rest- 
ling  had  dropped  me  at  the  entrance,  saying : 

192 


"I  leave  you,  Malcolm,  to  make  your  own  inspec- 
tion and  form  your  own  conclusions.  You  will 
probably  find  the  warden  ere  long.  Expect  me  back 
in  the  course  of  tw'O  hours." 

I  did  not  find  the  warden,  and  it  was  half  an  hour, 
perhaps,  ere  he  appeared,  so  that  the  great  House 
of  Hope  was  my  possession  during  that  time,  and  I 
wandered  through  the  passages,  curiously  studying 
the  arrangements  and  fittings  that  on  every  hand 
evinced  the  interest  and  good  sense  of  this  people  in 
caring  for  the  bodies  of  their  departed  friends.  At 
first  the  thought  of  cremation  was  suggested  when 
I  encountered  the  spicy  odor,  but  a  glimpse  of  cer- 
tain stalls  proved  to  me  that  a  different  plan  of  dis- 
posal was  followed  here.     The  w^arden  explained  it. 

The  body  of  the  departed  was  wrapped  in  a  lire- 
resisting  cloth  that  had  been  soaked  previously  in 
a  composition  of  disinfectants  and  fragrant  gums, 
and  after  the  usual  ceremonial  \vas  deposited  upon 
the  grating  in  a  special  stall  at  one  end  of  the  main 
hall.  Under  the  body  was  laid  billets  of  odorous 
wood  that  burned  slowdy  and  with  little  flame.  The 
heat  and  vapor  gradually  dried  the  tissues  of  the 
dead  without  destroying  their  relations  and  with- 
out the  production  of  offensive  gases.  It  was  a 
method  of  dessication  that  did  not  cause  the  ordi- 
nary effects  of  dessication  as  known  to  us.  After 
this  process  the  body  was  laid  in  its  chosen  crypt. 

The  warden  drew  from  one  of  the  stalls  the 
mummy-like  fold  of  a  body  that  had  Iain  there  five 

193 


years.  It  was  that  of  a  relative,  a  cousin  of  his 
mother.  Carefully  loosening  the  cloth  enfolding 
the  head,  a  face  was  disclosed  that  startled  me  by 
its  naturalness.  The  complexion  had  darkened,  but 
the  skin  under  the  drying  treatment  had  shrivelled 
little  and  had  tightened  over  the  bones  so  as  to  pre- 
serve much  of  the  old  contour  and  expression.  It 
reminded  me  of  leaves  I  had  seen  in  the  forest  that 
had  dried  up,  after  falling,  without  turning  yellow 
or  losing  much  of  their  glossy  smoothness.  In  some 
instances,  the  old  custodian  said,  an  examination  of 
bodies  that  had  been  there  twenty  years  revealed  a 
state  of  almost  equal  preservation.  At  the  head  of 
each  stall  containing  an  inmate  was  a  tablet  giving 
name,  age  and  some  lines  or  a  verse  descriptive  of 
his  or  her  character  and  relation  in  life.  In  a  niche 
of  the  building  was  filed  a  record  of  the  events  and 
design  relating  to  its  construction,  and  also  a  reg- 
ister of  its  peaceful  residents  from  the  time  of  the 
first  deposit. 

I  should  mention  that  on  the  wall  inclosing  the 
central  room  or  place  of  ceremonial  there  were  a 
great  many  metal  tablets,  with  inscriptions  deeply 
engraved  or  carved  in  relief.  These  were  either 
memorials  of  men  and  women  specially  beloved  by 
the  people,  or  quotations  from  the  wisdom  of  the 
ages,  bearing  upon  life  in  its  relations  to  God  and 
man,  the  sentiment  of  hope  and  cheer  being  every- 
where marked.  Among  these  I  noted  the  follow- 
ing : 

194 


Praise  the  Lord,  my  soul, 

and  all  that  is  within  me 

Praise  His  holy  Name! 


Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always; 
and  again  I  say  Rejoice! 


Children,  continue  the  good 
reputation  of  the  dead  with  surviving  Glory. 


The  voice  of  Joy  and  Health 
is  in  the  dwellings  of  the  righteous. 


When  men  are  Friends 
there  is  no  need  of  Justice. 


Sing,  ye  Heaven,  be  joyful,  O  earth ! 


He  who  does  wrong, 
does  wrong  against  Himself. 


One  tablet  in  a  conspicuous  place,  being  set  in 
the  center  of  the  broad  wall  and  composed  of  let- 
ters of  great  size,  evidently  beaten  out  of  gold,  and 
so  well  polished  as  to  be  read  easily  from  the  most 
distant  part  of  the  chamber,  was  this : 

What  doth  the  Lord 

require  of  Thee 

but  to  do  Justly,  and  to  love  Mercy, 

And  to  v;alk  Humbly 

with  thy  God? 

195 


A   LOW    BILL   OF    MORTALITY. 

A  later  visit  for  the  purpose  enabled  me  to  make 
notes  of  such  features  that  were  interesting  to  a 
mere  curiosity  hunter,  and  which,  I  am  sure,  would 
be  useful  to  the  statistician.  I  learned  then  from 
the  warden  that  the  mausoleum  was  built  forty-six 
years  after  the  first  settlement  of  Oudemon,  and 
contained  10,605  bodies.  There  had  been  a  remark- 
able decline  in  the  death  rate  of  the  people  during 
the  past  fifty  years,  although  the  showing  of  the 
early  decades  was  a  much  smaller  percentage  than 
that  of  my  own  city,  the  management  of  whose  san- 
itary affairs  was  in  charge  of  a  much  applauded  and 
certainly  quite  officious  Board,  supposed  to  be  "non- 
partisan" in  politics  because  its  members  received 
no  salary.  As  nearly  as  I  could  estimate  the  death 
rate  for  the  ten  years  just  past  had  not  exceeded 
three  per  cent,  for  the  whole  period,  and  this  was 
made  up  almost  entirely  of  persons  over  eighty  years 
of  age.  There  were  two  years  when  the  percentage 
in  certain  districts  was  greater,  for  a  reason  men- 
tioned later.  The  number  of  children  on  the  list 
was  so  amazingly  small  that  I  asked  the  warden 
where  the  children  were  buried  or  entombed. 
He  replied :  "Why,  here,  my  young  friend." 
"But  they  are  not  all  registered,  then,  I  suppose?" 
"Yes,  certainly,  Malcolm;  but,  as  you  see,  the 
proportion  is  quite  small.  Our  children  as  a  rule 
live  and  grow  up.     We  have  no  sicknesses  or  epi- 

196 


demies  to  kill  them  in  infancy,  as  was  much  the 
case  before  the  settlement  and  before  our  people 
had  improved  the  country  and  become  established 
in  the  habits  that  we  now  practice.  Our  younger 
married  people  are  so  well  and  so  systematic  in  their 
domestic  affairs  that  we  expect  their  children  to  be 
well  born  and  to  grow  like  the  fledgelings  of  our 
birds  into  robust  maturity." 

"Your  families,  kind  warden,  are  certainly  not 
remarkable  for  size,  as  a  rule,  yet  if  all  the  children 
live  your  population  constantly  increases." 

"Yes,  probably  fast  enough,  all  things  consid- 
ered, Malcolm.  But  have  you  noticed  that  any  of 
our  people  appear  to  be  discontented  as  mothers  or 
fathers?" 

"No ;  far  from  it.  On  the  contrary,  I  have  never 
seen  families  where  so  much  enjoyment  was  taken 
in  themselves.  On  that  account  I  have  wondered 
that  you  do  not  have  more  little  ones  toddling 
about." 

"Well,  my  dear  friend  from  the  North,  we  prob- 
ably look  at  the  subject  of  parentage  from  a  different 
point  of  view  than  your  people  do.  We  do  love  and 
treasure  our  children,  and  that  very  fact  leads  us 
to  consider  motherhood  in  a  light  that  imparts  a 
high  responsibility  to  the  relation.  Our  women,  in- 
deed, have  more  to  say  about  marriage  than  our 
men.  We  think  that  only  fair  to  them  as  prospective 
mothers.  So,  when  one  marries,  it  is  commonly  un- 
derstood that  she  is  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  man 

197 


of  her  choice;  and  then,  as  regards  having  a  child, 
it  is  for  her  to  decide  when  it  shall  be.  The  many 
considerations  that  enter  into  so  important  a  mat- 
ter are  seriously  looked  at  by  both  husband  and 
wife." 

"Ah,  warden,  we  conduct  things  of  this  kind  in  a 
very  different  fashion.  Our  men  still  think  them- 
selves the  paramount  authority." 

"So  I  have  been  told,  Malcolm,  and  that  parent- 
age is  often  a  so-called  'accident'  in  your  well-bred 
society.  With  us  there  are  no  accidents,  you  know," 
the  old  man  went  on,  a  suspicious  twinkle  of  cyni- 
cism in  his  eye.  "Well,  a  child  is  wanted,  and  the 
expectant  parents  desire  that  it  shall  be  a  strong, 
active  product  of  their  best  life,  a  joy  and  credit  to 
them  in  early  years,  a  companion  and  help  in  its 
full  growth,  and  a  survivor  to  perpetuate  the  fam- 
ily stock  with  even  a  better  quality  of  capacity  and 
endurance.  Children  born  and  grown  in  this  way 
are  not  likely  to  be  numerous,  my  young  friend." 

"No,  the  lion  has  but  few  cubs,  warden,  but 
they  are  lions.  So  it  is  analogously  with  you  Oude- 
monites.  Few  children,  yet  beautiful  and  strong 
and  joy-giving,  and  endowed  \vith  so  much  buoy- 
ant life  as  to  awaken  little  thought  of  their  passing 
away  ere  the  springtime  had  set  the  bud  for  the 
blossom." 

"I  remember  well  an  incident,"  musingly  went  on 
my  elderly  companion,  "that  occurred  when  I  was 
quite  a  youngster — not  over  twenty — I  am  eighty- 

19S 


seven  now.  I  was  a  delicate  boy  for  an  Oudemonite 
even  then ;  my  mother  was  a  weakly  woman  always, 
yet  lived  to  be  seventy-eight ;  and  I  was  born  a  year 
or  two  after  my  father  came  down  here  from  your 
State.  Mother,  I  believe,  picked  up  considerably 
in  strength  after  getting  settled  in  the  new  home, 
but  I  had  weak  lungs,  supposed  to  be  inherited  from 
mother.  Her  father  and  two  brothers  died  of  what 
they  called  consumption,  and  mother  was  so  weak 
at  the  time  she  left  the  old  house  near  Albany  to 
travel  so  far  that  father  was  called  very  cruel  to 
pack  her  off  just  to  die.  Yet,  you  see,  the  change 
proved  good  for  her;  she  lived  nearly  forty  years 
after  that. 

"Well,  my  boy,  as  I  was  going  to  tell  you  when 
I  began,  I  was  about  twenty  when  a  child  was  still- 
born in  the  Tolly  house,  not  far  from  ours.  This 
caused  a  deal  of  excitement  among  the  people " 

"Indeed,  my  excellent  warden ! — a  very  common 
occurrence  where  I  live.     How  did  it  happen?" 

"Mother  Tolly  never  could  get  used  to  the  mon- 
keys. She  did  not  like  them  from  the  first.  To  be 
sure,  we  did  not  understand  them  as  well  then  as 
we  do  now,  and  could  not  prevent  them  from  doing 
some  mischief  in  one  way  or  another.  Now  they 
are  so  well  trained  as  to  be  of  use  in  many  ways, 
you  know." 

"You  have  seen  my  faithful  Jabber,  perhaps, 
warden?" 

"No,  but  I  can  vouch  for  him.     Like  most  of 
199 


them,  he  was  bred,  I  suppose,  in  the  family  where 
you  live.     Educated  stock,  you  see !     But,  going  on 
with  my  story,  if  you're  not  tired  of  it,  boy?" 
"No,  no,  good  sir — go  on." 

"Well,  as  I  was  saying,  we  were  only  beginning 
then  to  learn  the  value  of  the  lively  little  chaps, 
and  there  were  not  half  a  dozen  families  in  our  dis- 
trict who  kept  them.  Now,  to  come  to  tHe  point: 
mother  Tolly  was  expecting  another  child.  She 
was  feeling  very  well  and  had  gone  into  the  garden 
to  look  around.  That  spring  had  not  been  as  wet 
as  usual,  and  we  had  done  a  little  irrigation.  While 
she  was  there  a  neighbor's  monkey  slily  crept  up 
behind  mother  Tolly  and  sprang  upon  her  arm. 
Surprise  and  fright  caused  a  premature  birth,  and 
the  good  woman  was  a  long  time  getting  over  it. 
Since  that,  over  sixty  years,  you  see,  I  don't  believe 
more  than  two  such  deaths  have  happened  in  all  the 
country." 

"Impossible!  What  was  done  with  the  rascally 
monkey  ?" 

"We  made  him  a  public  example  that  some  folks 
thought  too  severe,  but  I  believe  it  had  a  good  ef- 
fect." 

"What  was  it,  warden?  I  should  like  to  know 
what  kind  of  discipline  would  be  of  any  use  to  the 
frisky  tribe." 

"Well,  at  first,  my  boy,  the  people  in  our  district 

and  others  almost  decided  to  expel  the  M^hole  race 

from  the  country — corral   them,  so  to  speak,  and 
200 


put  them  over  the  ridge;  but  my  father  advised  a 
different  course.  He  beheved  that  the  monkey  could 
be  made  very  useful  by  training,  and  quite  well- 
behaved,  also,  in  time.  So  he  suggested  that  all 
the  monkeys  for  miles  around  should  be  brought  to 
a  certain  place  on  a  set  day,  soon  after  the  accident 
to  mother  Tolly.  At  that  time  he  had  Yep,  the 
mischievous  offender,  brought  into  the  center  of  the 
assembly,  and  bound  him  by  the  four  legs  to  two 
youngsters.  All  the  other  monkeys  were  roped  to 
other  trees  in  full  sight  of  Yep.  Then  neighbor 
Ambrose  Glind,  a  man  who  had  a  very  stern  sense 
of  justice,  whipped  the  beast  severely  with  a  strap 
until  he  howled  terribly.  It  was  a  pitiful  sight.  All 
the  other  monkeys  howled  in  chorus  and  strained  on 
their  fastenings,  and  got  on  their  knees  to  their  mas- 
ters, as  if  fearful  they  should  be  treated  the  same 
way.  After  the  whipping  Ambrose  talked  to  Yep 
about  what  he  had  been  whipped  for,  and  ordered 
him  never  to  leave  the  home  grounds  without  per- 
mission ;  if  he  did,  he  would  be  whipped  and  thrown 
out  of  the  country.  The  owners  of  the  other  mon- 
keys spoke  to  their  poor  animals  in  the  same  strain. 

"Well,  I  don't  know  how  it  was,"  said  the  old 
man  with  a  laugh,  "but  Yep  never  went  out  of  the 
home  bounds  after  that,  and  his  owner  declared  no 
child  could  be  more  submissive.  Besides,  the  punish- 
ment had  a  good  effect  upon  the  monkeys  generally 
in  making  them  tractable." 


20I 


In  a  wide  recess  I  had  noted  a  large  silver  plate 
set  in  the  wall,  with  the  inscription : 

"Through  His  Chastening. 

Praised  be  His  Name!" 

On  both  sides  of  this  were  rows  of  stalls,  with  the 
customary  tablets,  giving  names  and  the  dates  of 
decease.  There  were  groups  of  these  tablets  bearing 
the  same  date  and  district.  My  curiosity  was  aroused 
by  this  peculiar  arrangement  and  by  the  large  me- 
morial plate,  and  I  had  determined  to  inquire  into 
the  meaning  of  such  a  distribution,  so  at  this  point 
of  our  conversation  I  remarked : 

"My  dear  venerable,  over  there  in  the  southeast 
there  is  a  sort  of  mortuary  chapel,  by  itself,  with  an 
inscription  that  I  would  like  you  to  explain  for  me." 

"Ah,  my  good  boy,"  replied  he,  gravely,  the  tears 
starting  in  his  eyes,  "that  is  our  constant  reminder 
that  we  are  subject  to  the  unexpected  woful,  like  all 
the  rest  of  humankind.  Now  and  then  In  some  part 
of  our  land  there  comes  a  sudden  visitation — a  tor- 
nado, or  waterburst — that  is  terribly  destructive  to 
houses,  fields  and  life.  All  our  science  is  pov>^er]ess 
against  it,  although  in  some  cases  warning  has  been 
given  a  little  time  in  advance  by  our  sky  observers. 
Coming  from  above,  this  storm  swoops  down,  tears 
into  fragments  everything  it  strikes.  You  know  the 
effect  of  those  terrible,  revolting  winds?" 

202 


"Yes,  indeed,  warden,  I  have  seen  their  effects  in 
the  Antilles." 

"The  worst  of  their  havoc  is,  of  course,  upon  life 
and  limb.  Three  years  ago  a  cyclone  and  rain- 
storm fell  in  district  nineteen  one  most  beautiful 
spring  day — oh,  with  such  awful  suddenness;  and 
in  two  minutes  or  less  dashed  into  splinters  four 
houses  and  all  the  outlying  buildings,  and  wasted 
gardens  and  groves  for  miles.  Fourteen  persons 
were  killed  outright  and  eleven  wounded  and 
maimed." 

"Yes;  I  noticed  the  group  of  tablets  with  that 
number  of  deaths  inscribed." 

"So,  you  must  see,  Malcolm,  life  with  us  is  not 
altogether  a  bed  of  roses.  He  disciplines  us  in  His 
own  blessed  way,  lest  we  shall  become  too  vain  and 
self-satisfied,  and  perhaps  fall  into  habits  that  might 
gradually  weaken  and  destroy  us." 

Not  many  days  afterward  I  visited  district  nine- 
teen in  company  with  Irving,  and  rode  through  the 
scene  of  this  terrible  calamity.  Although  the  houses 
had  been  rebuilt  by  the  survivors  of  the  families 
that  possessed  them,  and  the  gardens  and  orchards 
looked  fresh  and  beautiful,  yet  there  were  traces 
still  to  remind  one  of  the  awful  might  of  the  visi- 
tation. 

The  deeply  reverent  reflections  of  the  aged  custo- 
dian of  the  great  resting-place  of  the  departed  I 
could  not  gainsay,  and  as  he  was  silent  for  a  while 
after  his  last  remark  I  did  not  interrupt  his  medi- 

203 


tation,  but  quietly  awaited  his  pleasure  for  further 
talk.  At  length,  looking  toward  the  entrance,  he 
said  cheerily : 

"Here  comes  my  little  factotum,  now — my  Chin- 
ny.     What  have  you  there,  boy?" 

I  was  thus  introduced  to  the  old  man's  four- 
pawed  assistant,  who  had  run  in  on  three  legs,  hold- 
ing in  one  paw  a  small  basket  which  he  dropped  at 
the  feet  of  the  warden,  who  continued : 

"Jubuti;  and  fine  ones,  too,  you  rogue.  Well, 
Malcolm,  let  us  have  a  little  refreshment  together. 
Good  boy,  Chinny."  He  stroked  the  grinning  little 
servant's  head  affectionately,  "An  old  chap,  well 
along,  and  yet  he  can  go  up  the  tall  palms  and  bring 
down  the  nuts  as  well  as  the  youngest.  These  fel- 
lows, you  know,  do  a  good  part  of  our  fruit  gather- 
ing— they  like  it.  Look  how  the  rascal  picks  out  the 
best  for  you." 

The  monkey  had  even  done  this,  and  I  rewarded 
him  with  "A  good  boy,  Chinny;  you  know  where 
the  good  things  are!"  and  patted  him  on  the  back. 
Finishing  the  delicious  refreshment  with  a  cup  of 
tree  milk  that  the  guardian  of  the  place  brought 
from  a  stone  pot  set  in  a  cool  corner,  I  thanked  him 
for  his  hospitality  and  rolled  away  in  my  nimble 
little  wagon. 


204 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

AN  UNLOOKED-FOR  ADVENTURE. 

Two  months  had  passed,  with  enough  of  varied 
activity  to  enable  me  to  become  fairly  accustomed  to 
the  life  surrounding  me.  I  was  certainly  acclimat- 
ed and  in  excellent  state  physically.  Restling  in- 
sisted that  there  had  been  a  marked  improvement  in 
my  appearance.  A  clearer  complexion  and  less  an- 
gularity of  feature  were  evident  whenever  I  made 
my  simple  toilet,  and  if  the  Bruces,  in  their  frank 
manner,  referred  to  this  improvement  I  hastened  to 
answer  that  it  was  but  a  reflection  of  neighboring 
conditions,  and  that  one  could  not  live  for  weeks 
and  months  amid  such  influences  and  not  grow  bet- 
ter. I  had  become  well  known  to  a  large  section  of 
the  Oudemon  people.  My  goalone  had  carried  me 
on  long  excursions  in  various  directions,  and  the 
universal  kindness  made  me  the  guest  of  every 
house  I  might  stop  at.  My  name  was  frequently  in 
the  bulletins,  and  invitations  to  all  sorts  of  "events" 
were  constant.  At  the  same  time,  there  was  a  prev- 
alent sentiment  of  laissez-faire  that  gave  me  a  de- 
lightful sense  of  independence. 

Alone  or  with  company  I  explored  this  and  that 
region  and  made  notes  of  my  findings  for  present 

205 


or  future  use.  My  adventurous  vein  found  oppor- 
,  tunity  for  ample  play.  There  were  large  areas  on 
the  v^estern  border  of  the  country  quite  covered 
with  old  forest  and  extensive  bench  or  terrace  for- 
mations rising  toward  the  upper  ridge  offering  rich 
returns  to  the  mining  prospector.  An  ordinary  ex- 
cursion into  those  quarters  usually  covered  an  entire 
day,  as  the  distance  from  my  "hotel"  was  at  least 
fifty  miles  to  points  where  it  was  necessary  to  leave 
my  wagon  and  depend  upon  my  legs  for  further 
transportation. 

From  one  of  these  trips  I  had  brought  back  speci- 
mens of  iron,  corundum  and  zinc  that  were  pro- 
nounced by  an  engineer  expert  to  be  of  an  unusual 
character;  the  corundum  especially  was  considered 
a  very  important  find,  the  quality  being  of  extraor- 
dinary fineness.  If  I  would  definitely  locate  the 
point  where  I  had  picked  up  the  specimen,  said 
Champlin,  the  engineer,  he  would  be  glad  to  inves- 
tigate the  matter,  because  a  deposit  of  that  grade  of 
aluminum  would  be  of  high  value  in  certain  mechan- 
ical operations.  A  week  or  so  later  I  left  Bruces' 
quite  early  in  the  morning,  my  wagon  supplied  with 
hammer,  chisel  and  pick,  and  a  good  box  of  lunch 
stuff,  expecting  to  spend  some  hours  on  the  ledges. 
Pursuing  the  same  course  that  had  been  made  on 
my  last  visit,  a  run  of  three  hours  brought  me  to 
the  locality,  and  after  thirty  or  forty  minutes  of  in- 
spection it  was  my  good  fortune  to  strike  the  place 
where  I  had  found  the  corundum.    Using  my  tools, 

206 


I  turned  out  fragments  of  the  oxide  that  seemed  to 
be  fully  equal  to  the  grade  of  the  specimen  taken 
home  and  submitted  to  the  engineer.  Marking  the 
spot  and  noting  down  the  relations  of  the  place  to 
certain  trees  and  surface  indications,  I  proceeded 
further  up  the  ledge,  examining  the  ground  closely. 
Coming  to  a  cliff-like  projection,  the  approach  to 
which  was  rather  steep,  my  curiosity  led  me  to  at- 
tempt to  scale  it.  With  the  pick  I  easily  made  foot- 
holds in  the  friable  rock,  and  in  twenty  minutes  had 
worked  my  way  up  the  forty  or  fifty  feet  to  the 
summit  of  the  cliff.  There  I  found  a  nearly  level 
bench  or  platform  extending  about  two  hundred  feet 
north  and  south,  and  sloping  gradually  toward  the 
western  crest.  A  giant  cactus,  the  solitary  inhabi- 
tant of  the  platform,  invited  me  to  rest  in  its  irreg- 
ular shade  and  to  unsling  the  lunch  box.  The  sun, 
high  in  mid-heaven,  suggested  noontime.  I  had  be- 
come heated  enough  in  my  climb  to  accept  the  op- 
portunity for  at  least  a  half  hour's  rest,  and  the  re- 
freshment provided  by  the  excellent  dietetic  taste  of 
mother  Bruce. 

A    SUDDEN    INTRODUCTION    TO    AN    ANCIENT    MINE. 

While  leisurely  discussing  the  toothsome  variety 
of  fruit,  biscuit  and  nut  cream  I  studied  the  ground 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood.  Forty  feet  north 
from  me  a  small  part  of  the  surface  appeared  to  be 
depressed  and  saucer-shaped.     Besides,  the  space, 

207 


instead  of  being  composed  of  rock  and  crumble,  like 
the  remainder  of  the  bench,  was  covered  with  a 
coarse  vegetation  of  vine  and  mosses.  This  awak- 
ened my  curiosity,  and  I  determined  to  examine  the 
peculiarity  at  close  range.  So,  after  dispatching  my 
stock  of  provender,  I  got  upon  my  feet,  and,  with 
pick  in  hand,  walked  to  the  vegetable  circle.  At  a 
little  distance  from  the  margin  several  flowers  of  a 
brilliant  purple  caught  my  eyes.  Their  form  was 
entirely  new  to  my  experience,  and,  thinking  to  se- 
cure a  novelty  for  Ellice's  herbarium,  I  strode  upon 
the  leafy  bed.  To  my  surprise  the  apparently  firm 
surface  yielded  to  my  weight,  and  before  there  was 
time  to  make  a  step  backward  I  found  myself  going 
downward  with  the  mass  of  vine  and  moss.  Had  it 
not  been  for  the  tough  fibrous  strands  which  I  in- 
stinctively clutched  as  I  descended,  my  fall  would 
have  been  disastrous,  probably.  As  it  was,  I  made 
a  sheer  drop  of  fully  twenty  feet  ere  the  vines  parted, 
and  then  landed  upon  a  very  narrow  shelf,  from 
which  I  rolled  down  a  steep,  funnel-like  wall  for  a 
considerable  distance,  spasmodically  digging  the 
pick  into  the  shaley  rock,  as  I  descended,  to  reduce 
the  impetus,  until  brought  to  a  halt  at  the  bottom. 

Although  bruised  and  shaken,  I  was  not  seriously 
hurt,  and  got  upon  my  legs  as  quickly  as  possible  to 
ascertain  the  sort  of  "scrape"  I  had  fallen  into. 
The  opening  made  in  the  roof  as  I  burst  through, 
with  its  almost  noontide  light,  clearly  exposed  the 
situation.     I  was  in  a  funnel-like  excavation  which 

208 


at  the  bottom  measured  six  paces,  while  at  the  top 
the  diameter  of  the  shaft,  as  I  assumed  it  to  be,  was 
much  greater — at  least  thirty  feet.  An  opening 
W'hich  I  assumed  to  be  the  entrance  to  a  passage 
communicating  with  old  mines  of  some  kind,  not 
more  than  four  feet  high,  and  so  narrow  that  a 
man  of  my  proportions  would  have  to  squeeze 
through  it,  led  off  toward  the  north,  according  to 
my  pocket  compass.  It  was  utterly  dark  inside  and 
discouraged  attempt  to  enter. 

The  walls  of  the  hole  that  held  me  prisoner  ex- 
hibited evidences  of  tool  work ;  they  were  rough,  but 
here  and  there  were  crystals  and  stones  of  varied 
color  glistening  in  their  crusty  bed.  Disengaging 
a  dark  wine-hued  specimen  from  the  schistose,  I  ob- 
tained what  I  believed  to  be  a  ruby  of  unusual  size. 
Verily,  if  the  other  brilliant  objects  around  me  were 
what  their  color  suggested — amethysts,  hyacinths, 
lazuli,  garnets,  topazes,  sapphires — I  was  a  later 
Monte  Cristo,  in  a  mountain  trap,  wath  riches  in 
sight  that  would  have  made  Dumas'  hero  envious. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  a  pocketful  of  these  stones 
gleaming  down  from  their  ancient  matrix  would  be 
enough  in  my  home  city  to  enable  me  to  take  front 
rank  with  the  plutocrats  of  stocks  and  bonds.  But 
what,  after  all,  was  this  lavish  display  of  wealth  un- 
estimated  to  a  man  alone  in  a  deep  hole  many  miles 
away  from  friends  and  with  extremely  limited 
means  of  self-rescue? 

Recovering  at  length  from  the  surprise  of  this 
209 


sudden  fall  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth  and  its 
dream  of  riches  and  splendor,  I  now  began  to  cast 
about  for  some  way  of  escape,  if  that  were  possible. 
No,  the  sides  of  the  excavation,  though  sloping,  ap- 
peared everywhere  quite  too  smooth  for  ascent;  no 
projections  had  been  left  by  the  ancient  miners 
large  enough  for  safe  foothold.  Besides,  little  hope 
was  offered  of  my  being  able  with  so  slender  a  tool 
to  cut  footholds,  and  so  mount  upward,  a  slow  and 
wearisome  task  at  the  best.  Even  if  able  to  do  this, 
supposing  my  pick  would  stand  the  wear,  fully  sixty 
feet  lay  between  me  and  the  upper  atmosphere. 
That  meant  hours  of  perilous  labor  and  strain. 

Then  the  opening  in  the  wall — perhaps  it  would 
afford  an  outlet  and  escape  from  my  trouble;  I  de- 
cided to  look  into  that  a  little.  In  a  side  pocket  I 
carried  a  small  lamp,  containing  a  supply  of  con- 
densed gas  sufficient  for  the  ordinary  contingencies 
of  an  excursion.  I  had  only  to  touch  a  little  slide 
covering  a  minute  opening,  when  the  gas,  flowing 
out  and  coming  into  contact  with  the  air,  burst  into 
flame  of  a  penetrating  character.  With  lamp  alight, 
I  squeezed  into  the  passage  and  soon  found  myself 
able  to  stand  erect  with  ample  space  on  each  side. 
Twenty  steps  within  two  small  scintillating  spots, 
forward,  about  an  inch  apart,  caught  my  gaze ;  they 
disappeared,  and  a  slight  rustling  indicated  the 
withdrawal  of  some  animal,  probably  a  serpent  or 
lizard,  into  the  deeper  recesses  of  the  passage.  How- 
ever, trusting  to  the  security  given  by  the  lamp,  I 

2IO 


walked  slowly  on,  and  soon  entered  a  small  cham- 
ber or  the  beginning  of  a  much  broader  passage,  the 
floor  of  which  perceptibly  inclined  downward.  I 
noted  then  that  the  small,  tapering  flame  that  guided 
my  steps  was  drawn  slightly  inward,  as  if  affected 
by  a  current  of  air.  The  walls  of  the  tunnel  here 
Avere  quite  smooth  and  sparkled  with  many-colored 
reflections  of  the  light,  suggesting  more  of  the 
valuable  mineral  deposits  that  lined  the  shaft.  Es- 
timating that  my  supply  of  gas  would  last  nearly 
two  hours,  I  determined  to  explore  this  channel  as 
far  as  my  light  would  permit. 

Making  my  way  more  rapidly  now,  but  with 
eyes  and  ears  alert,  I  soon  became  aware  of  the  fact 
that  the  chief  or  sole  inhabitants  of  this  subterra- 
nean relic  of  an  ancient  industry  were  snakes.  They 
seemed  to  become  more  evident  as  I  proceeded,  one 
glaring  at  me  from  a  point  on  the  wall,  another  from 
a  niche  or  corner  on  the  floor,  and  all  hastening  with 
low  hisses  to  escape  from  the  sudden  light.  To  be 
sure,  the  situation  was  not  cheerful,  yet,  with  the 
lamp  in  one  hand  and  the  pick  in  the  other,  I  felt 
safe,  for  the  reptiles  fled  rapidly  as  I  advanced, 
scarcely  affording  an  opportunity  to  obtain  an  idea 
of  their  size  or  character. 

Perhaps  I  had  advanced  250  feet,  when  the  pas- 
sage suddenly  divided  into  two  branches,  like  the 
upper  arms  of  the  letter  V.  To  guard  against  error 
I  detached  a  large  crystal  from  its  bed  in  the  wall 
near  by  and  placed  it  on  the  floor  of  the  main  pas- 

211 


sage  at  a  distance  of  six  feet  from  the  forking,  and 
then  proceeded  to  inspect  the  right  branch,  which 
was  a  trifle  narrower  than  the  main  channel,  but  in 
other  respects  of  the  same  character.  Seventy  paces 
or  so  in  this  brought  me  to  another  division  into 
passages  quite  narrow,  and  lower  in  the  roof,  and 
here,  as  soon  as  the  gleam  of  my  lamp  shone  upon 
the  gray  walls,  the  rustling  and  hisses  were  so 
marked  that  I  concluded  I  must  have  trespassed  on 
the  sanctuary  of  the  reptile  tribe,  and  it  might  be 
foolhardy  to  venture  further  that  way.  So  I  re- 
turned and  entered  the  left  passage.  Fifty  feet 
within  this  I  found  the  walls  retreating  from  each 
other  and  the  roof  rising,  until  I  came  to  stand  in 
a  sort  of  vaulted  chamber  ten  paces  in  diameter, 
with  three  openings  into  passages  that  were  smaller 
than  any  of  the  others.  Here  I  carefully  examined 
all  parts,  but  no  signs  of  communication  with  the 
outer  world  could  be  discovered,  although  the  air 
seemed  to  have  a  peculiar  freshness  that  could  be 
ascribed  only  to  a  source  of  ventilation  not  very 
distant. 

I  was  debating  with  myself  on  the  expediency  of 
continuing  the  quest,  when  suddenly  my  light  fiared 
out,  leaving  me  in  darkness ;  no,  not  darkness  quite, 
although  that  was  the  first  effect  of  the  lamp's  ex- 
haustion, for,  strangely  enough,  there  came  into  evi- 
dence an  iridescent  mist  that  changed  what  would 
have  been  a  pitchy  blackness  otherwise  to  a  gray, 
and  through  this  gray  a  crystal  of  special  brilliancy 

212 


here  and  there  gleamed  coldly.  Like  a  man  in  a 
dense  fog  I  stumbled  along,  grazing  the  wall  with 
my  pick  to  note  the  course  and  avoid  collisions  with 
the  rock  in  its  windings.  At  length  a  pale  bluish 
gleam  shone  near  my  feet;  stooping  down,  I  found 
the  stone  that  I  had  placed  near  the  fork  of  the 
first  passage,  and  at  the  same  time  a  cold,  slimy 
touch  on  the  side  of  my  hand  warned  me  of  the 
proximity  of  a  snake.  They  were  evidently  coming 
out  again  from  their  retreats.  With  some  haste  and 
the  instinct  of  direction,  I  now  made  my  way  along, 
and  soon  a  broad  spot  of  yellowish  light  ahead  as- 
sured me  that  the  more  comfortable  scene  of  my 
fall  was  near  at  hand. 

A  STRUGGLE   FOR  LIBERTY. 

More  than  an  hour  had  been  spent  in  the  under- 
ground ways,  as  the  sun  had  passed  so  much  toward 
the  west  as  to  make  a  marked  difference  in  the  illu- 
mination of  the  shaft,  as  afforded  by  the  opening  I 
had  torn  in  the  cap  of  vegetation.  Studying  that,  I 
saw  how  the  vines  and  mosses  had  their  roots  in  soil 
formed  by  the  crumbling  rock  and  drift  on  the  mar- 
gin, and  that  in  my  fall  several  long  ropes  of  vine 
had  been  brought  down,  their  loose  extremities 
hanging  within  reach  if  I  could  only  surmount  the 
sharp  incline  between  the  shelf  and  the  bottom.  Two 
or  three  hours  more  and  the  light  would  fade  where 
I  stood.     Picking  at  several  points  in  the  wall,  I 

213 


found  on  one  side  a  layer  of  comparatively  soft 
rock  extending  well  above  my  head.  So  I  began 
the  toilsome  effort  of  making  niches  in  the  stone,  for 
the  attempt  to  climb  the  forty  feet  or  so  of  wall  be- 
tween the  bottom  and  the  dependent  ropes  of  vine. 
My  little  tool  proved  more  effective  than  was  ex- 
pected. In  about  twenty  minutes  by  guess  I  had 
made  four  pairs  of  holes  large  enough  to  hold, 
which  gave  me  a  rise  of  eight  feet,  but  I  found  that 
the  brittle  mineral  had  a  disagreeable  tendency  to 
crumble  under  my  weight  enough  to  suggest  the 
much  more  disagreeable  possibility  of  a  sudden  fall 
at  almost  any  stage  of  my  slow  progress  upward. 

It  may  be  assumed  easily  by  the  reader  that  while 
thus  occupied  as  to  my  hands  and  feet  my  mind  was 
anxiously  and  intensely  absorbed  in  thoughts  re- 
garding things  of  much  personal  concern.  What 
would  failure  to  escape  from  this  unlucky  hole  mean 
to  my  mother,  sisters,  to  Olive  and  other  friends? 
Was  not  this  coming  to  Oudemon  a  foolhardy,  ab- 
surd thing,  after  all?  Had  I  not  involved  myself 
here  in  relations  trying  to  my  conscience?  Was  I 
not  a  fool,  anyhow,  to  be  going  here  and  there? 
What  real  benefit  would  result  to  me  or  others  with 
all  this  affectation  of  experience  in  a  country  shut 
away  from  the  world  supposing  that  I  escaped  with 
a  whole  skin  from  my  uncheerful  predicament? 
Could  I  survive  a  night  in  this  well-like  excavation? 
Might  I  not  be  the  prey  of  poisonous  and  voracious 
serpents  and  other  savage  beasts  that  not  unlikely 

214 


had  their  dens  in  the  bowels  of  the  mountain  and 
at  night  saUied  into  this  pit  for  what  they  might 
find? 

Four  more  pairs  of  holes  carried  me  up  eight 
feet  more,  yet  the  vines  seemed  scarcely  nearer,  and 
the  stone  appeared  to  be  harder  to  work,  and  there 
was  a  marked  increase  of  shadow  in  my  surround- 
ings. Once,  too,  my  left  hand  almost  lost  its  clutch, 
and  that  meant  nearly  a  tumble  from  the  perch  I  had 
made.  The  perseverance  of  King  Alfred  and  of 
Timour  w^ere  rivaled  by  my  efforts  to  triumph  over 
the  mischance  that  had  befallen  me,  as  up  and  down 
that  rough  steep  I  climbed  at  intervals  to  rest,  as 
hands,  feet  and  head  became  fatigued  with  their  un- 
wonted exertion.  Of  course  I  reflected  earnestly  on 
what  my  new  friends  might  do  in  default  of  my 
return,  and  was  inclined  to  feel  censorious  because 
none  had  given  an  intimation  regarding  this  moun- 
tainside trap.  Since  I  had  become  possessor  of  the 
autolat,  on  returning  from  a  ramble  one  or  more  of 
these  friends  usually  met  me  on  the  way.  Willis  or 
Stella  or  Ellice  had  run  out  and  accompanied  me 
back.  Father  Bruce  seemed  to  enjoy  the  talks  we 
briskly  kept  up  while  riding  in  our  self-propelled 
carriages,  side  by  side,  homeward ;  and  Restling  had 
found  time  to  wheel  my  way  more  than  once  w'hen 
he  knew  the  place  and  time  of  my  operations  for  a 
certain  day. 

Getting  down  from  the  hacking  of  the  twenty- 
third  hole,  my  right  hand  felt  numb  from  the  shock 

215 


of  striking  the  stone.  My  good  little  pick,  too, 
showed  the  effects  of  its  extraordinary  use.  Then 
the  impracticability  of  further  work  of  the  kind 
forced  itself  upon  my  reluctant  conviction.  Not 
more  than  half  of  the  way  up  to  the  shelf!  Oh,  for 
the  aerial  dress !  If  I  had  only  that !  But  not  hav- 
ing it,  the  prospect  of  passing  the  night  in  the  pit 
sent  a  chill  through  my  spinal  column. 

That  morning  I  had  left  the  Bruces'  with  but  a 
slight  intimation  of  my  purpose  beyond  that  of 
prospecting  a  while  along  the  mountain  slope  and 
then  going  over  to  the  iron  mills.  No  questions 
were  asked,  and  if  they  had  been  I  should  not  have 
given  a  clearer  notion  of  my  excursion.  Over  in 
district  twenty-two,  twenty-five  miles  from  the 
mills,  the  young  folks  were  to  have  a  musical  even- 
ing, and  I  had  partly  promised,  i.e.,  if  not  otherwise 
occupied,  to  join  them  for  supper  at  eighteen  hours, 
and  aid  the  amateur  performance  with  my  horn, 
which  I  had  brought  in  my  goalone.  My  non- 
appearance at  this  event  might  cause  inquiry?  There 
was  a  chance  for  help  there.  But  how  would  they 
find  me? — how  reach  this  den  of  unspeakable  prob- 
abilities? 

THE    HAPPY   ESCAPE. 

The  shadows  were  deepening — the  sun  must  be 

on  the  western  ridge  now,  or  very  near  It.    Oh,  for 

that  horn.     I  could  make  some  noise  with  it,  and 

216 


possibly  a  traveler  or  miner  passing  not  far  away 
would  catch  the  sound  and  turn  in  search  of  its  pro- 
ducer. But  I  could  make  some  noise  anyway,  which 
were  better  than  crouching  inert  there  in  the  gloam- 
ing dullness.  I  whistled  through  my  fingers,  hal- 
looed at  the  top  of  my  voice.  At  the  depth  of  the 
shaft  all  sounds  appeared  to  be  half  stifled  by  the 
harsh  and  hollow  echoes.  Once  a  dull  roar  and 
light  jar  followed  a  heroic  attempt  at  shouting.  It 
was  probably  a  blast  in  a  mine  not  far  to  the  south- 
east, the  closing  act  of  the  workmen  for  that  day. 
I  whistled  and  shouted  at  intervals,  trying  my  voice 
in  different  pitches  and  naming  one  after  another 
friends  living  in  the  nearer  sections. 

Meanwhile  time  wore  on ;  the  sunlight  had  gone, 
and  I  looked  from  my  gloomy  den  up  through  the 
break  in  the  leafy  roof,  watching  the  hues  of  orange, 
green  and  blue  as  they  faded  in  the  deepening  twi- 
light. The  sky  space  in  view  was  limited,  indeed, 
yet  it  had  a  great  fascination,  and  never  before  had 
I  seen  so  much  of  beauty  in  the  penciling  of  the  sun- 
set upon  that  canvas  of  ether.  Finally  a  peculiar 
yellow  haze  settled  down,  penetrating  even  into  my 
prison  and  lighting  up  faintly  the  gray  walls.  But 
soon  it  was  gone,  and  the  stars  leaped  into  being 
with  a  sudden  intensity  that  was  striking.  It  was 
now  night  indeed.  Still  I  kept  up  my  periodic  call, 
listening  meanwhile  with  senses  astrain  for  some 
response,  hoping  almost  against  hope. 

The  nearest  family  dwelling,  so  far  as  I  knew, 
217 


was  more  than  twelve  miles  away,  and  the  few  min- 
ers or  shopmen  who  might  be  returning  to  their 
homes  or  out  on  the  road  at  this  hour  were  not 
likely  to  pass  within  eight  or  ten  miles  of  my  mis- 
adventure. How  late  it  had  become  I  could  not  tell, 
for  I  had  not  carried  my  watch  (a  good  American) 
while  in  Oudemon,  because  it  was  unnecessary.  At 
numerous  points  there  were  clocks,  run  by  a  gravity 
method,  and  very  accurate,  striking  the  half  and 
quarter-hours.  Of  course,  in  my  pit  their  pleasant 
chimes  could  not  be  heard.  There  was  one,  I  re- 
membered, near  the  spot  where  I  had  found  the 
corundum ;  quite  out  of  the  way,  seemingly,  yet  the 
skilled  artisan  who  constructed  it  had  a  benevolent 
purpose  in  view,  to  admonish  the  venturous  spirit, 
who,  like  myself,  might  be  wandering  in  a  region 
infrequently  visited  of  the  lapse  of  time.  A  guess 
put  it  not  far  from  eight  o'clock,  or  twenty  hours. 

My  throat  had  become  dry  with  its  vocal  efforts, 
and  my  nervous  system  was  weary  enough  to  sink 
into  sleep.  Looking  toward  the  side  of  the  pit  where 
the  entrance  to  the  passage  was,  I  saw  with  a  start, 
yet  without  surprise,  what  seemed  at  first  gleaming 
points  moving  up  and  down  and  sidewise  in  graceful 
rhythm.  The  serpents  were  there — coming  in! 
Perhaps  charmed  by  my  voice.  They  were  quiet 
an)rway.  Again  and  again  my  call  arose,  and  a 
long,  shrill  whistle — the  easier  effort — which  ap- 
peared to  have  a  marked  effect  upon  the  reptiles, 
their  eyes,  or  rather  heads,  bobbing  up  and  down 

2lS 


rapidly  while  it  lasted,  and  then  coming  to  a  brief 
pause. 

The  gleaming  eyes  were  increasing,  too. 
:ic  *  *  *  *  * 

Suddenly  there  came  to  my  eager  ears  a  sound — 
distant,  low.  It  was  repeated — twice,  three  times — 
and  then  I  imagined  a  vague  reflection  of  my  name 
glanced  down  the  wall.  With  all  my  force  I  an- 
swered. At  intervals  of  a  few  seconds  the  sounds 
came  again,  higher  and  clearer.  Surely  now  my 
name  and  a  searching  party.  A  little  later,  more 
calls — among  them  a  rich,  clarion-like  voice  rang 
out  its  contralto.  I  knew  it  most  joyfully.  It  was 
Ellice.  Shouting  in  response,  I  cried :  "Beware  of 
the  pit!"  "Look  out  for  the  vines!  I  have  fallen 
through!"  Now  the  voice  came  nearer,  and  I  re- 
peated my  warning. 

"He  is  here!"  It  was  Restling  who  spoke,  and 
close  to  the  excavation. 

"Yes,  Archbold!"  I  cried.  "I  am  down  in  this 
wretched  hole,  and  awfully  glad  you  have  found 
me!" 

"Thank  God,  we  are  in  time!"  It  was  father 
Bruce  who  now  spoke. 

"Oh,  I  am  so  glad,  dear  Malcolm!  Are  you 
well?" 

"Yes,  good  Ellice;  only  a  little  tired  and  perhaps 
impatient." 

"Look  out  for  this,  boy !" 

Down  came  a  lamp  box,  tied  to  a  rope,  which  fell 
219 


near  enough  to  be  quickly  found  in  the  darkness. 
Opening  the  slide,  a  bright  ray  filled  the  pit,  and 
my  happy  eyes  beheld  with  fresh  astonishment  a 
squirming  maze — hundreds  of  snakes,  large  and 
small,  apparently  as  surprised  as  myself,  hissing  and 
hustling  for  their  dark  lair — the  passage. 

"Malcolm,  what  have  you  there,  making  that 
hideous  noise?"  asked  Ellice  in  a  tone  of  anxiety. 

"Only  my  companions  of  the  night,  dear  girl. 
They  are  going  home  now,  since  better  company  has 
come,"  I  replied  with  voice  a-tremble  with  nervous 
reaction.  I  had  been  surrounded  by  those  squirm- 
ing creatures,  and  did  not  know  it. 

"Are  you  strong  enough  to  hold  the  rope  while 
we  draw  you  up?" 

"I  will  try,  dear  fellows,"  was  my  answer.  Tying 
the  rope  around  my  waist,  I  coiled  it  on  my  right 
arm  and  then  signaled  "Ready!"  In  a  few  mo- 
ments they  had  drawn  me  to  the  surface,  and  there 
half  a  dozen  strong  hands  caught  me  and  made 
sure  of  my  deliverance  from  that  uncanny  prison. 
Looking  around  the  little  group  there  in  the  misty 
light  of  a  waning  moon  just  above  the  horizon,  I 
saw  tears  on  the  cheeks  of  those  trusty  friends. 
Archbold  and  Ellice  held  my  hands  until  assured 
that  I  had  sustained  little  physical  injury.  Indeed, 
the  joy  of  rescue  made  me  almost  forget  the  weari- 
ness of  those  hours  of  hard  work  and  desperate 
watching.  Bruce  handed  me  a  flask  containing 
orange  juice  of  mother  Milline's  own  expression, 

220 


and  also  a  box  of  sandwiches  spread  thickly  with 
choice  butterfly  honey.  Joy  ministers  to  appetite. 
I  was  hungry,  and  the  delicious  refreshment  met 
the  need  of  my  body  admirably.  Thanking  Bruce 
for  his  thoughtfulness,  he  rejoined,  smilingly: 
"We  knew  very  well,  Malcolm,  that  you  must  need 
food,  for  you  did  not  take  much  of  a  ration  for 
your  nooning." 

Now  we  addressed  ourselves  to  the  task  of  de- 
scending from  the  shelf-like  level.  Bross  Champ- 
lin,  chemist  and  mining  engineer,  one  of  the  party, 
had  brought  a  heavy  pick.  He  had  detected  the 
footholds  I  made  in  the  cliff  side,  and  quickly  en- 
larged them  so  that  both  ascent  and  descent  were 
much  facilitated.  Near  the  foot  of  the  cliff  stood 
the  wagons  of  my  rescuers,  the  Morgan  flier  among 
them. 


221 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

HOW     I     WAS     RESCUED. 

"Who  will  be  my  conductor,  dear  people?"  I 
asked.  "The  country  hereabouts  at  night  looks  a 
little  strange,  and  my  goalone  might  run  away  with 
me,  and  both  tumble  into  another  hole." 

Restling  stepped  forward  laughing.  "Allow  me 
to  drive  for  you,  Malcolm.  Champlin  will  take  the 
lead.  Our  four  wagons  were  soon  speeding  toward 
the  southeast.  We  had  not  gone  more  than  a  mile 
or  two  when  I  heard  the  distant  peal  of  bells  one 
after  another,  six  of  different  tone. 

"Those  are  tower  bells,  Archbold.  What  are 
they  ringing  for  at  this  hour  of  the  night?" 

"Oh,  I  doubt  not  that  some  of  our  people  have 
heard  that  the  lost  is  found."  There  must  have 
been  that  roguish  twinkle  in  his  eyes  I  knew  so 
well,  if  there  were  any  significance  in  the  tone  of  his 
voice.  So  my  misadventure  had  become  widely 
known  in  the  country,  and  it  could  not  have  been 
through  any  means  other  than  the  brain  or  mind 
telegraphy  in  practice  here.  I  wished  to  know  more 
of  it,  and  here  was  an  opportunity. 

"Archbold,  I  have  become  so  used  to  your  ways 

222 


that  nothing  astonishes' me;  but  I  am  very  curious 
to  know  how  you  came  so  quickly  to  my  rescue. 
Now  that  I  review  the  circumstances  it  seems 
strange  enough  even  if  some  one  in  passing  near 
the  cHff  heard  my  repeated  calls." 

"Your  calls  were  heard,  my  boy,  but  by  no  one 
who  chanced  to  be  anywhere  in  that  neighborhood." 

"Can  it  be  that  my  voice  carried  so  far?" 

"Yes,  in  a  certain  way." 

"Oh,  you  had  an  impression.  Do  you  mean 
that  some  idea  of  my  predicament  came  to  you  in 
that  way?" 

"Yes,  Malcolm.  I  had  been  down  in  district 
twenty,  was  detained,  and  on  my  way  homeward  I 
distinctly  heard  a  repetition  of  my  name,  and  in  your 
manner  but  with  an  unusual  emphasis " 

"What !  district  twenty  must  be  forty  miles  from 
the  ridge  at  that  point." 

"Yes,  forty-three." 

"My  dear  friend,  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you 
gathered  a  notion  of  my  plight  and  the  locality 
then?" 

"Yes,  my  young  inquisitor." 

"But  how  did  the  others  know  about  it?  I  con- 
fess, despite  what  I  have  heard  while  here,  I  have 
been  incredulous  regarding  the  matter  of  mental 
telepathy,  because  our  men  of  science  have  said  so 
much  to  discount  it — at  least  as  a  procedure  having 
any  positive  and  definite  feature  available  for  prac- 
tical uses.       Your  people  when  they  speak  of  com- 

223 


municating  with  each  other  do  so  in  a  very  quiet 
fashion  and  for  that  reason  I  have  not  been  led  to 
give  the  subject  the  attention  I  originally  intended." 

"Set  it  down  to  account  of  our  gentle  weak- 
nesses, Malcolm." 

"No,  certainly,  my  dear  friend,  trust  me.  But 
now  I  am  a  debtor  to  you  very  seriously,  and  you 
will  have  an  earnest,  believing  listener  to  whatever 
you  may  tell  me.     Excuse  my  insistence." 

"There  is  no  secret  about  it,  my  dear  boy,  only 
the  operation  of  psychic  principles  that  are  as  old 
as  the  universe.  Your  people  in  the  North  have 
sent  messages  by  electric  or  etheric  currents  without 
the  agency  of  wire  connection  between  transmitter 
and  receiver.  Even  lately  an  American  by  the 
name  of  Loomis  has  demonstrated  this  fact  by  ex- 
periments in  one  of  the  Southern  States.  We  only 
go  a  step  or  so  farther,  using  our  brain  or  mind  to 
originate  and  propagate  the  message,  and  also  to 
receive  and  interpret  it.  It  is  mental  or  nerve  force 
operating  in  conjunction  with  etheric  waves  instead 
of  electrical  energy. 

"While  you  were  in  that  unpleasant,  trap-like 
hole,  the  situation  of  which  was  not  generally 
known — if  known  at  all  among  our  people,  I  sup- 
pose— though  in  a  survey  made  forty  years  ago 
I  would  find  some  account  of  it  as  an  archaeological 
feature,  but  owing  to  its  comparative  isolation  little 
further  regard  has  been  given  to  it,  and  probably 
no  one  has  attempted  an  investigation  of  its  recesses, 

224 


leaving  that  to  the  northern  Hotspurs  whose  ardent 
spirits  prompt  to  deeds  of  audacious " 

"Spare  me,  Archbold,  and  I  will  own  to  all  the 
temerity  of  a  California  mining  prospector  in  the 
early  fifties,"  I  cried,  squeezing  his  arms.  "But 
tell  me  how  you  received  the  impression  of  my  un- 
lucky plight." 

"While  you  were  in  those  depths  and  the  hours 
passed  slowly,  doubtless  your  mind  became  more 
and  more  absorbed  in  the  problem  of  how  to  get 
out,  and  especially  after  those  repeated  trials  to 
climb  the  wall  your  feelings  became  rather  intense." 

"You  may  believe  it,  after  I  saw  the  blinking  eyes 
of  the  snakes  peering  at  me  in  the  gloom." 

"There  were  many  of  them?" 

"Hundreds,  it  seemed  to  my  distraught  fancy!" 

"That  must  be  looked  into — and  there  may  be 
other  animals  of  an  objectionable  character  pent 
in  the  old  workings.  Albeit,  then,  your  thought  of 
escape  must  have  been  absorbing,  and  its  evident 
uncertainty  forced  into  conscious  recognition  a  hun- 
dred things  of  much  concern  to  heart  and  soul." 

"Yes,  Archbold,  you  may  be  sure  of  that — 
thoughts  of  home,  friends,  my  life  past  and  present, 
of  those  here  I  so  much  value — of  you,  and  the 
Bruces  and  Dentons  in  particular,  and  I  will  admit 
that  the  idea  of  being  able  possibly  to  make  an  im- 
pression entered  my  mind,  and  was  dwelt  upon 
while  I  continued  my  calls  and  whistling." 

"So,  you  sent  out  a  current  of  nerve  energy  that 

2.2^ 


must  have  been  much  stronger  than  the  ordinary — 
carrying  the  appeal  for  help.  I  was  in  the  area 
through  which  this  current  radiated  and  my  mind, 
like  a  telegraphic  receiver,  was  affected,  and  giving 
my  whole  attention  for  the  time  to  the  matter  in- 
terpreted clearly  enough  for  action  the  message  you 
were  trying  to  communicate.  There  were  others 
probably  who  were  affected  also,  but  the  line  of 
clear  connection  depends  upon  the  psychic  relation- 
ship of  parties.     You  and  I  know  each  other  well." 

"From  the  first,  Archbold,  I  was  drawn  strangely 
toward  you." 

"Yes,  my  boy.  Now  these  mental  currents  are 
selective,  besides  being  given  direction  by  the  will 
of  the  sender,  and  the  degree  of  vibratory  response 
depends  upon  the  harmony  or  attunement  of  the 
parties.  Then,  too,  as  you  may  know,  sensitiveness 
or  capacity  for  mental  transference  is  not  universal, 
but  a  matter  of  endowment,  temperament,  so  to 
speak,  and  for  practical  use  requires  the  develop- 
ment of  culture.  AMiile  our  people  are  as  well 
adapted  for  the  exercise  of  this  property  as  any 
living,  but  few  comparatively  have  cultivated  it. 
In  fine,  it  has  become  a  sort  of  vocation  on  the  part 
of  some  in  each  district  to  whom  others  go  in  case 
they  wish  to  communicate  directly  with  acquaint- 
ances at  a  distance,  just  as  your  people  go  to  a  tele- 
graph station  and  employ  the  operator  there  to  dis- 
patch a  message.  Stella  Bruce  has  shown  a  special 
readiness  in  impression,  and  made  not  a  little  prog- 

226 


ress  for  a  young  girl  in  interpreting  and  transmit- 
ting. So  when  I  heard  from  you  I  spoke  to  her, 
inquiring  if  you  were  home.  It  was  several  min- 
utes before  I  received  an  answer.  She  was  doubt- 
less asleep.  Meanwhile  further  impressions  came 
from  you,  and  I  had  about  decided  their  course.  It 
was  then  past  twenty  hours. 

"When  I  heard  from  Stella,  she  replied  no,  but 
that  you  had  gone  that  morning  on  a  collecting  ex- 
pedition to  the  west  ridge,  and  it  was  supposed  that 
you  might  have  stopped  for  the  night  w'ith  a  miner 
or  some  one  in  the  neighborhood.  Then  I  was 
quite  sure  that  you  had  met  with  an  accident,  and 
needed  help.  I  requested  her  to  ask  father  Bruce 
to  join  me  as  soon  as  possible  at  the  great  maguey 
west  of  district  twenty-two." 

*'How  acurate  you  were,  Archbold!  on  my  direct 
course  as  I  ran  to  the  terrace." 

"Then  I  sought  Champlin;  found  him,  and  at 
twenty-two  hours  and  the  half  we  were  at  the 
maguey.  After  waiting  but  fifteen  minutes,  Jasper, 
Willis  and  the  girl  El  lice — she  must  be  much  in- 
terested in  you,  Malcolm" — this  uttered  in  a  tone 
of  grave  inquiry,  with  a  vein  of  admonition  in  it — 
"arrived." 

"How  they  must  have  driven.  But  Willis  has 
a  speedy  goalone.  And  Ellice,  dear  girl,  that  she 
should  come  all  the  way." 

"She  insisted  on  coming.  Stella  ran  over  and 
told  her." 

"I  am  unworthy  of  such  kind  friends." 
227 


Without  comment  on  this  remark  the  worthy 
councillor  went  on : 

"We  found  your  wagon,  and  then  your  calls 
guided  us  straight  enough,  until  we  stood  on  that 
sheet  of  rock  with  its  ancient  opening  to  cuttings  of 
which  you  know  more  than  any  of  us.  It  was 
Ellice's  quick  ear  that  caught  the  sound  of  your 
whistle  first,  even  before  we  found  the  goalone,  and 
of  course  confirmed  my  chosen  direction.  We  an- 
swered frequently,  but  being  down  so  low  in  the 
rocky  layers  it  was  difficult  for  our  shouts  to  reach 
you,  and  we  must  have  been  well  up  the  cliff  before 
you  heard  us  distinctly." 

"I  believe  that  I  heard  your  calls,  Archbold,  fully 
fifteen  minutes  before  you  were  at  the  shaft.  I  was 
very  apprehensive  that  one  of  you  might  fall  into 
the  hole  as  I  had — and  so  repeated  my  warnings." 

"That  was  well,  Malcolm.  We  had  given  the 
lead  to  Champlin,  who  had  his  lamp,  and  the  moon 
was  coming  up,  so  that  we  could  examine  the 
ground  conveniently.  As  soon  as  he  saw  the  vines 
he  recognized  your  mishap.  There  is  another  ex- 
cavation of  a  like  nature  known  to  the  miners  in 
the  northern  benches,  he  says,  and  overgrown  also." 

"To  me  the  one  just  left  has  certain  wonderful 
characteristics,  of  which  I  shall  wish  to  speak  later. 
Indeed,  Archbold,  although  I  am  inexpressibly  glad 
to  have  gotten  out  of  the  scrape  so  soon,  with  help 
brought  so  providentially — it  seems  a  providence, 
dear  friend,  to  me  that  you  were  gifted  to  sense  my 

228 


imminent  peril — yet  I  should  like  to  inspect  those 
crypts  and  passages  that  I  discovered.     If  my  lamp 

had  not  failed " 

"I  don't  know,  young  sir,  whether  we  can  permit 
you  to  attempt  more  of  such  venturous  investiga- 
tions."    He  said  this  with  a  light  laugh. 

A    PHILOSOPHICAL    EXPOSITION. 

"Be  sure,  kind  councillor,  I  shall  go  better  pre- 
pared than  on  this  occasion.  Let  us  talk  a  bit  more 
of  this  system  of  mental  telegraphy,  if  you  don't 
object.  Some  of  our  philosophers,  as  I  have  read, 
compare  the  brain  with  a  storage  battery,  only  with 
the  addition  of  the  life  principle,  and  the  forces  of 
mind  faculty.  Can  it  be  that  this  living  battery 
generates  a  peculiar  electricity  all-penetrative  and 
capable  under  subtile  management  of  transmitting 
the  behests  of  our  will  ?  Is  it  because  we  do  not  un- 
derstand the  matter  that  so  little  attention  is  given 
to  these  latent  forces  of  nature  by  our  educated 
people?" 

"That  is  to  a  large  extent  the  reason,  Alalcolm, 
and  there  are  other  subjects  of  as  high  importance 
to  the  world  that  your  savants  regard  askance  be- 
cause the  psychic  powers  of  our  organization  have 
most  to  do  with  their  expression  and  results.  Few 
indeed  of  any  people  realize  the  extent  of  the  opera- 
tion of  soul  on  matter  and  form,  and  the  possibilties 
of   accomplishment   through   psychic   agencies   in- 

229 


telligently  employed  in  our  affairs.  The  brain  may 
be  considered  a  living  machine,  battery,  dynamo, 
of  great  power,  with  the  property  of  growing  into 
conditions  of  wider  capability.  As  to  the  etheric 
transference  of  thought — let  me  cite  a  common 
illustration.  You  know  how  two  musical  instru- 
ments tuned  in  harmony  will  respond  to  each 
other?  You  strike  one,  the  other  sounds  in  the 
same  key  and  its  octaves.  So,  my  boy,  musical  in- 
struments react  upon  each  other — simple  mechanism  ; 
and  brain  will  act  upon  brain,  but  the  latter  are 
living  instruments  infinitely  superior,  more  delicate 
in  susceptibility,  more  powerful  in  energy.  Two 
mirrors  placed  at  a  considerable  distance  from  each 
other  will  reflect  flashes  of  light  as  transmitted  from 
one  or  the  other  through  vibratory  currents  exist- 
ing in  the  atmosphere.  So  light  comes  to  our 
seeing  organs  from  immeasurable  distances  carried 
by  etheric  currents  that  must  pervade  the  vast  spaces 
of  the  universe.  The  eye  sense  but  differs  from 
the  ear  sense  or  the  touch  sense  in  kind ;  all  are 
matters  of  impression;  all  furnished  with  sensitive 
diaphragms,  as  it  were,  for  the  reception  and  trans- 
mission of  impulses  whether  of  a  mental  or  physical 
origin.  Thus  with  our  knowledge  of  the  subtile 
forces  abounding  in  earth  and  sky,  it  is  required 
only  to  adjust  two  brains  and  minds  to  each  other 
in  a  harmonious  connection  or  rapport,  in  order  to 
obtain  complete  results  in  the  exchange  of  thought. 
Your  own  psychological  h'terature  is  more  exten- 


sive  than  you  think,  and  if  you  will  take  time  for 
research  in  it  you  will  find  the  records  of  many  suc- 
cessful instances  of  mind  communication  at  great 
distances,  experimentally  made  or  for  a  set  purpose. 
Our  science  years  ago  solved  the  seeming  mystery 
of  mind  transference,  and  formulated  the  principles 
and  prepared  the  method  governing  its  practice. 
There  is  nothing  supernatural  in  it,  but  merely  an 
extension  of  our  ordinary  sense  faculties  and  nerve 
force  in  a  comparatively  new  field  as  the  world 
goes." 

"I  should  be  inclined  to  think,  Archbold,  that 
this  practice  requires  an  extraordinary  sensitiveness 
and  elasticity  of  faculty — even  an  additional  or  new 
sense." 

''No,  Malcolm,  it  seems  clear  enough  to  me  that 
we  have  a  sufficient  number  of  senses  and  faculties 
by  original  endowment,  and  that  our  advance  in 
any  psychologic  respect  requires  only  a  better  use,  a 
higher  extension  of  these  old  mind  powers  'in  their 
relation  to  the  cosmic  forces.'  " 

When  we  rolled  into  the  back  court  of  the  Bruce 
home  it  was  past  two  o'clock,  a  most  unusual  hour 
for  Oudemonites  to  be  stirring.  Mother  Bruce  and 
Stella  were  at  the  door. 

"A  happy  meeting,"  both  greeted  me  warmly.  I 
took  their  offered  hands,  and  pressed  them  without 
answer. 

"That  was  a  horrible,  horrible  place,  cousin,"  said 
the  girl.     "I  really  saw  you  standing  there  gazing 

231 


upward  in  hope  almost  forlorn,  yet  you  saw  the 
stars,  and  were  courageous." 

"My  sweet  little  seeress,  don't  say  anything 
more;  you  must  know  all,  J\Iany  things  I  thought 
of,  that  I  should  not  care  to  tell  my  best  friends, 
even  were  they  so  far  away  that  they  could  not  get 
at  me." 

"Now,  my  dears,  let  the  boy  go  straight  to  bed. 
See  how  haggard  he  looks!  To-morrow  he  will 
tell  us  all  about  this  strange  adventure." 

.We  obeyed  Milline's  admonition. 


232 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A   LAW    UNTO    THEMSELVES. 

Restling^s  intimations  as  given  me  in  those  few 
interviews  that  were  had  in  my  native  city  were 
more  than  realized  as  concerns  the  social  atmos- 
phere of  Oudemon.  What  I  was  inclined  at  the 
time  to  consider  little  more  than  playful  sallies  re- 
flecting on  our  manners  and  customs  I  found  to  be 
but  true  references  to  practices  common  enough 
in  the  life  of  his  people.  Accustomed  to  meet  the 
belted  policeman  wherever  I  had  traveled  hitherto 
I  could  scarcely  persuade  myself  that  he  did  not 
exist  also  here.  It  seemed  to  me  for  a  long  time 
that  some  such  guardian  of  public  order  must  be 
lurking  near,  like  a  Pinkerton  detective  at  a  summer 
resort  of  the  better  class  at  home,  and  on  occasion 
would  thrust  his  officious  presence  upon  my  notice 
and  display  his  badge  of  authority.  But  no  occa- 
sion introduced  him;  the  streets,  groves  and  gar- 
dens, the  assemblies  and  entertainments  were  free 
of  him.  The  children  sang  and  frolicked,  ran  over 
the  grassy  meadows  and  lawns,  plucked  flowers 
and  fruits,  played  games  of  ball  and  tag  with  no 
fear  of  a  gruff  voice  bidding  them,  "Stop  that, 
now!"  or  "Clear  out!" 


A  social  concourse  drew  me  into  a  central  district 
where  I  met  three  councillors  and  several  of  the 
older  men.  In  the  exchange  of  remarks  a  discus- 
sion arose  on  the  subject  of  government.  Daniel 
Norris,  a  veteran  of  notable  sagacity,  in  the  esteem 
of  all,  asked  me  several  questions  regarding  methods 
of  administering  the  laws  up  North,  and  I  answered 
him  as  well  as  my  memory  would  serve.  Finally 
I  said :  "Friend  Daniel,  I  have  been  studying  your 
ways  somewhat  while  down  here,  and  have  at- 
tempted to  form  a  conclusion  as  to  the  fundamental 
basis  of  your  success.  Of  course  I  recognize  the 
high  level  of  moral  character  among  you,  and  know 
that  it  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  peace  and 
order  of  your  community.  But  what  are  the  main 
elements  of  your  civil  state?  What  policy,  in- 
deed, has  helped  most  toward  this  high  line  of  uni- 
versal practice?" 

The  venerable  man  replied :  "In  a  word,  Malcolm, 
it  is  the  operation  of  the  Royal  Law  that  is  mainly 
the  reason  for  our  happy  solution  of  some  of  the 
most  difficult  problems  affecting  the  relations  of 
life.  You  look  as  if  I  spoke  in  riddles.  A  refer- 
ence to  the  Royal  Law  is  not  new  to  you,  certainly." 

"No,  Daniel;  yet  I  cannot  conceive  that  your 
Royal  Law  as  a  working  formulary  may  be  any 
better  than  the  cardinal  principles  upon  which  our 
moral  standards  are  founded." 

"We  cannot  claim  more,  young  brother;  or  to 
have  anything  wiser  than  you  have  in  this  respect; 

234 


for  all  that  we  know  concerning  life  in  its  higher 
and  spiritual  phases  is  but  the  teaching  of  men  v/ho 
stand  as  much  in  the  relation  of  apostles  and  sages 
to  you  as  they  do  to  us." 

"Now  that  is  quite  likely,  venerable  sir,"  was 
my  sanguine  rejoinder,  "yet  does  not  satisfy  me, 
when  I  find  so  different  a  state  of  things  ethical 
and  civil  here;  that  you  have,  indeed,  in  the  course 
of  a  hundred  or  so  years  reached  a  point  that  has 
been  the  dream  of  philosophers  and  idealists  for 
ages? 

"Your  philosophers  and  idealists,  your  Platos 
and  Solons,  your  Johnsons  and  Rousseaus,  your 
Franklins,  Fourriers,  and  Georges  have  overshot 
the  mark,"  the  sage  insisted;  "in  the  earnestness  of 
their  endeavors  to  take  in  all  the  issues  of  public 
and  private  life  they  have  presented  views  too  com- 
plex for  the  masses.  Instead  of  solving  the  prob- 
lem they  have  added  to  its  intricacy.  In  the  start 
our  fathers,  as  simple  men  looking  toward  a  com- 
mon object,  sought  to  be  simple  in  their  ideas  and 
methods,  to  propound  rules,  or  rather  ways  of  con- 
duct, that  all  could  understand  without  appealing 
to  a  master  of  logic  and  synthesis  for  explanation. 
Take  people  as  they  average  up  there  in  your  coun- 
try, there  will  not  be  found  much  difference  as  to 
the  proper  course  of  action  in  respect  to  a  given 
question.  You  can  trust  their  conscience — or  moral 
instinct — to  give  the  right  answer,  if  they  will  be 
sincere   in   voicing  its   prompting.     But  you   have 

235 


so  many  prejudicial  and  disturbing  suggestions 
floating  in  the  air  that  the  sincerity  and  frankness 
of  their  nature  appear  to  suffer  a  kind  of  suppression 
or  subversion  and  do  not  exert  their  normal  sway 
in  general  conduct. 

"Our  fathers  and  mothers  strove  to  make  us  single 
in  action  and  true  to  ourselves  in  this  matter  of 
sincerity.  They  believed  in  interchange  and  co- 
operation, in  the  necessity  of  a  mutual  equality  and 
interdependence,  if  harmony  were  to  be  promoted 
and  fraternity  of  spirit  established.  Those  found- 
ers of  our  nation — if  I  may  so  name  it — were  demo- 
cratic, as  you  might  say;  they  did  not  believe  in 
classes,  and  so  introduced  no  system  or  custom 
in  our  social  or  economic  relations  that  might  tend 
to  the  production  of  individual  or  class  distinc- 
tions." 

"One  great  agency  in  this  respect,  as  we  believe, 
is  money — the  so-called  'circulating  medium'  of 
your  people.  Probably  when  first  introduced  ages 
ago  money  was  regarded  as  a  mere  convenience 
in  trade;  but  it  was  not  long  before  it  became  a 
symbol  of  wealth,  fortune  and  power,  and  thus  a 
special  object  of  acquisition  for  itself.  To  accumu- 
late a  large  amount  of  money  is  the  chief  purpose, 
apparently,  of  your  civilization  to-day.  The  wealth 
of  individuals  in  your  community  is  a  criterion  of 
superiority.  Look  at  its  distribution,  however! 
How  few  among  you  are  rich  or  well-to-do;  how 
many  are  poor  and  dependent!     If  we  are  to  be- 

236 


lieve  what  many  of  your  writers  say,  your  com- 
munities live  in  a  state  of  dangerous  agitation  on 
that  account.  Besides  there  are  questions  of  so- 
cialism, questions  of  labor,  questions  of  political 
and  civil  right  and  privilege,  questions  of  education, 
questions  of  religion  and  so  on  which  are  topics  of 
vehement  and  even  violent  disputation.  The  rich 
are  haughty  and  severe  toward  the  masses;  the 
masses  jealous  and  vindictive  toward  the  rich,  with 
even  a  section  of  the  so-called  working  class  by  no 
means  small  awaiting  opportunity  to  hurl  them  from 
their  places  of  self-assumed  privilege  and  power." 

'T  must  admit,  Daniel,  true  son  of  the  historic 
Seth,  that  you  are  right  to  a  greater  extent  than  is 
complimentary,  in  this  statement.  W^e  have  been 
threatened  at  home  with  serious  disturbances  of 
civil  order  and  even  social  revolutions,  so  strong  is 
the  feeling  of  discontent  among  our  working  classes. 
But  do  you  deny  that  he  who  is  industrious  and 
energetic  should  reap  the  benefit  of  his  labor  and 
thrift  in  fortune  and  reputation?  Because  of  the 
almost  inevitable  results  of  his  energy,  skill  and 
tact  such  a  man  becomes  an  object  of  envy  and 
malice  to  people  who  are  for  the  most  part  negligent 
and  improvident  in  their  habits  and  practices." 

"I  should  be  far  from  denying  the  rewards  of 
merit  to  any,  my  young  master  of  logic,"  returned 
the  sage,  kindly,  "but  if  I  understand  the  nature  of 
your  trading  and  industrial  life,  as  I  have  read  and 
heard  about  it,  there  is  in  the  spirit  of  the  success- 

237 


ful,  in  their  attitude  toward  the  unsuccessful  work- 
ers, that  which  is  largely  responsible  for  the  bitter- 
ness of  the  laboring  majority  toward  the  rich  few. 
This  sentiment,  to  be  sure,  is  an  inheritance  of  the 
ages,  no  mere  sprout  of  recent  growth  as  you  know. 
In  the  old  time  there  was  a  similar  state  of  unhappy 
contrasts — the  lordly  pretension  and  domination  of 
the  nobility,  and  the  servile  humility  of  the  peas- 
antry. The  rich  and  the  poor  in  your  civilization 
but  perpetuate  the  difference  of  past  generations. 
"Starting  with  no  privileged  class,  none  pretend- 
ing to  be  better  than  others,  and  none  who  made 
it  their  object  to  subject  or  control  their  fellows 
for  the  purpose  of  self-aggrandizement,  it  was  found 
practicable  to  get  along  by  a  plan  of  exchanges 
that  required  no  symbol  of  value.  Every  family 
took  for  use  as  much  land  as  seemed  necessary  for 
maintenance.  There  was  no  ownership  recognized 
but  that  of  occupation  and  use,  and  in  time  we 
learned  the  acreage  suitable  to  the  average  family 
and  have  apportioned  our  districts  accordingly." 

INDIVIDUALITY    IN    SOCIALISM. 

"All  this  sounds  well,  Daniel,  but  I  am  a  little 
puzzled  about  this  matter  of  individual  ownership 
of  houses,  etc.,  among  you,  and  how  you  have 
managed  to  bring  about  the  separateness  of  family 
interests  and  yet  practice  a  substantially  successful 
communism  in  vour  general  relations.     Our  social- 

238 


ists  at  home  appear  to  be  aiming  at  a  result  that 
would  merge  the  individual  into  the  community, 
and  deprive  him  for  the  most  part  of  his  several 
personality.  The  one  is  to  be  sacrificed  for  the 
many  according  to  their  policy — a  proposition  that 
seems  to  me  adverse  to  the  law  of  human  right." 

Smilingly  the  veteran  took  up  the  thread,  con- 
tinuing :  *T  am  quite  in  accord  with  you,  young  phi- 
losopher. To  deprive  a  human  being  of  his  sepa- 
rate personality,  his  right  to  think  and  act  for  him- 
self, is  to  ignore  a  most  important  principle  in  the 
constitution  of  human  nature,  which  lies  at  the 
basis  of  a  man's  activity,  affects  intimately  moral 
integrity  and  its  co-factor,  the  sentiment  of  respon- 
sibility. His  selfness  is  lost;  he  is  converted  into 
an  automaton  for  the  most  part.  We  recognize 
the  right  of  men  and  women  to  be  married  and  to 
organize  their  own  homes.  If  any  care  to  asso- 
ciate together  in  a  sort  of  community  or  home-club 
there  is  no  objection;  but  we  are  generally  agreed  as 
concerns  marriage  itself  in  preserving  the  mono- 
gamic  relation.  The  family  status  is  preferred  by 
our  women,  and  they  as  you  may  know  largely  con- 
trol in  our  domestic  arrangements." 

*T  have  no  objection  to  make  regarding  the  do- 
mestic conditions,  for  your  home  settlements  are 
delightful.  But,  dear  Daniel,  I  don't  get  the  thing 
quite  into  my  head  yet — this  property  clause  of  the 
contract." 

The  old  man  shook  his  head  at  the  word  contract, 
239 


and  the  two  or  three  other  men  who  had  been  stand- 
ing near  listening  quietly  while  the  colloquy  was  in 
progress  looked  at  me  as  if  wondering  at  my  persist- 
ence. 

"Indulge  me  for  a  little  further." 

"Certainly,  Malcolm,  we  should  like  to  clear  up 
all  your  doubt,"  was  the  genial  answer. 

PROGRESS    ON    SPIRITUAL    MOTIVES. 

"Then,  most  kind  mentor,  you  know  that  the 
faculty  of  acquisitiveness  or  the  desire  to  possess, 
is  an  instinct  recognized  by  the  metaphysicians,  and 
its  exercise  as  demonstrated  by  the  experience  of 
the  world  is  fundamental  to  human  progress.  In 
fact  there  is  no  incentive  more  powerful  to  human 
action.  How  in  your  economy  have  you  succeeded 
in  overcoming  its  material  influence  upon  the  con- 
duct of  your  people?" 

"It  seems  to  me,  Malcolm,"  the  sage  returned, 
"that  when  our  founders  decided  to  dispense  with 
money  or  anything  representing  unitary  value 
merely,  they  eliminated  the  chief  object  of  acqixisi- 
tion  in  the  old  order,  and  thus  by  one  direct  meas- 
ure the  force  of  the  instinct  in  one  phase  of  its  ex- 
pression that  had  become  habitually  excessive  was 
overcome.  You  may  urge,  however,  that  the 
faculty  or  property  still  remained  in  the  organism 
of  mind,  and  would  have  its  effect  on  motive  and 
purpose.     Yes,  but  in  time  with  the  greatly  changed 

240 


conditions  of  life  here  the  objective  aims  of  the 
faculty  became  much  altered.  A  psychical  character 
was  imparted  to  it;  a  moral  tone  took  the  place 
of  the  old  materialistic  expression,  and  we  grew  to 
desire  the  possession  of  things  more  spiritual  and 
sentimental.  We  wanted  more  information  re- 
garding the  country  in  which  we  lived,  and  so  be- 
gan to  study  its  topography,  climate  and  products, 
and  sought  to  discover  the  best  methods  of  convert- 
ing field,  forest  and  hill  to  use.  Man's  first  and 
last  and  happiest  occupation,  it  seems  to  me,  and 
most  of  us  believe  it,  is  to  till  the  ground  and  sub- 
due it.  Further  our  selfhood  came  into  more  prom- 
inent observation;  its  instincts  craved  a  better  rec- 
ognition, and  we  desired  to  be  in  possession  of  the 
secrets  of  our  own  mental  and  physical  constitu- 
tion ;  to  know  ourselves  as  to  the  sources  of  character 
and  being ;  and  with  such  advancement  as  was  made 
in  this  line  we  were  prompted  to  discover  and  in- 
vent methods  by  which  we  could  adapt  ourselves 
better  to  the  conditions  of  our  environment.  Then, 
with  our  new  learning  of  these  things,  we  became 
more  zealous  to  learn  how  to  live  with  each  other, 
and  to  make  our  relations  physical  and  social  con- 
ducive to  mutual  improvement  and  happiness." 

The  old  man's  face  glowed  with  enthusiasm,  his 
voice  took  on  a  stronger  tone.  Ah,  the  topic  was 
one  to  call  out  his  earnestness,  and  give  expression 
to  his  best  convictions.  I  stood  close  to  him;  per- 
haps my  face  reflected  his  own  feeling,  for  he  gazed 

241 


at  me  with  the  tenderness  of  a  loving  father — and 
smiHngly  went  on : 

"In  proportion  as  we  learned,  my  dear  son,  of 
the  constitution  of  our  body  we  became  more  com- 
petent to  manage  its  functions  to  our  benefit,  and  to 
make  the  conditions  of  health  a  matter  of  systematic 
control.  One  by  one  things  that  were  dangerous 
in  any  way  were  destroyed  or  expelled  from  near 
contact,  and  our  dwelling  place  assumed  a  totally 
different  appearance  from  its  old,  primitive  state. 
Far  from  being  now  all  that  we  W'Ould  have  it,  you 
can  perhaps  judge  of  what  has  been  done  from  your 
knowledge  of  the  country  beyond  the  ridges." 

"A  most  rem.arkable  difference,  I  will  confess." 

"Yes,  my  son,  and  yet  the  Bolivian  and  Chilian 
countries  are  better  than  was  the  most  of  our  ter- 
ritory when  we  came  first  to  live  here,  aside  from  its 
resources  of  water.  We  have  found  abundant  work 
to  our  hand,  and  nature  has  responded  in  loving 
promptness  to  our  united  and  cheerful  efforts  to 
clear  the  wilderness  and  make  it  a  fit  abode  for  those 
who  would  try  to  live  up  toward  the  level  of  the 
thought  that  inspired  the  first  settlers. 

"Bear  with  an  old  man's  garrulity,  young  scion 
of  the  bustling  North " 

"Oh,  my  dear  prophet  of  the  higher  wisdom,  I 
am  far  from  tiring  as  I  listen  to  you,"  was  my  ex- 
clamation, and  I  took  and  pressed  the  seamed  but 
yet  unwasted  hand.     Continuing,   I   said: 

"Yours  appears  to  be  a  peculiar  socialism  wherein 
24.2 


the  welfare  of  the  individual  is  a  natural  incident 
of  the  system.  Then,  too.  I  do  not  find  any  evi- 
dence of  a  force  or  power  that  impels  or  restricts 
a  man's  action  with  respect  to  the  objective  point 
of  social  or  several  benefit;  yet  you  must  be  subject 
to  an  undercurrent,  so  to  speak,  of  sentiment  aside 
from  the  monitions  of  habit  practice  or  good  con- 
duct motive.  Our  people  have  good  intentions  and 
high  motives,  but  are  not  saved  from  wholesale 
practices  of  a  very  harmful  nature.  Take  for  in- 
stance the  habit  of  alcoholism  or  drunkenness  so 
prevalent  among  us — even  in  our  best  circles. 
Something  deeper  and  stronger  than  good  inten- 
tions and  high  motives  merely  is  required  to  over- 
come a  chronic  passion,  and  your  people  certainly 
must  have  it,  for  the  bad  demon  in  human  nature 
seems  to  have  been  exorcised  or  driven  out  of  your 
psychic   combination." 

"It  may  be  as  you  seem  disposed  to  argue,  my 
young  brother,"  rejoined  Norris;  "perhaps,  though, 
that  Frenchman  named  Laccassagne  fitly  strikes 
the  point  when  he  remarks,  'the  social  environment 
is  the  cultivation  medium  of  criminality,'  with  a 
further  inference  that  'every  society  has  the  crim- 
inals that  it  deserves.'  So  your  people  at  home 
must  rather  lightly  entertain  their  good  intentions 
and  high  motives  more  as  a  sentimental  idealism 
than  as  a  deep,  earnest,  determined  purpose.  If  the 
'bad  demon,'  which  I  interpret  as  the  impulse  of  un- 
disciplined propensity  and  passion — have  been  'ex- 

243 


orcised'  in  us  to  a  degree,  it  is  because  of  the  habits 
and  practices  that  have  grown  chronic  with  us  for 
the  exercise  of  the  faculties  and  powers  at  once 
natural  and  becoming  to  human  beings.  We  be- 
lieve that  the  instinctive  yearnings  of  our  organiza- 
tion should  be  met,  but  in  a  way  that  promotes  well 
being." 

"What,  my  worthy  mentor,  are  these  instinctive 
yearnings  in  your  category  of  indulgence?"  I  here 
demanded,  thinking  to  elicit  some  eccentricity  of  psy- 
chological view. 

The  sage  gazed  at  me  fixedly  for  a  moment  and 
then  replied  in  terms  that  surprised  me : 

"Certainly,  my  young  inquisitor,  you  must  know 
that  man  is  endowed  with  certain  essential  aims  and 
yearnings,  among  the  most  insistent  of  which  are  the 
want  of  the  Infinite,  which  embraces  his  spiritual  and 
religious  life;  the  want  of  food,  which  means  the 
supplies  required  for  the  nurture  and  growth  of  the 
body;  and  the  want  of  sex,  which  means  the  rela- 
tionships of  home  and  society,  and  the  perpetuation 
of  his  kind.  An  appreciative  understanding  of  these 
basic  wants,  and  reasonable  activity  for  their  ac- 
quirement, means  happiness  and  a  realization  of  the 
purpose  of  life;  while  a  course  that  is  subservient  to 
the  impulses  of  caprice  and  passion  means  failure  to 
realize  a  satisfaction  of  soul  or  body." 

"Surely  in  this  category  you  have  comprehended 
the  chief  needs  of  our  nature,"  I  exclaimed,  "and  I 
can  fairly  see  how  a  well  ordered  course  of  living 

244 


may  realize  a  satisfying  degree  of  each ;  but  the  mu- 
tual, unselfish,  fraternal  cooperation  of  the  men  and 
women  of  a  society  is  indispensable  to  reach  the  high 
object." 

"Yes,  brother  Malcolm,  to  avoid  the  effects  of 
selfishness  it  is  necessary  to  exclude  those  things  in 
current  life  that  inspire  a  selfish  activity  of  the  lower 
feelings.  The  motive  of  your  laws  and  government 
springs  mostly  from  the  purpose  to  repress  or  punish 
the  consequences  of  selfishness;  and  yet  the  attain- 
ments that  your  people  appear  to  regard  as  best  ex- 
emplifying your  civilization  are  only  products  of  a 
grand  selfishness,  that  is  masked  under  certain  more 
acceptable  names.  Were  your  civilization  a  real 
progress  in  what  ennobles  and  purifies  the  human, 
you  would  require  fewer  laws  and  fewer  judges  and 
juries  to  take  account  of  their  violation." 

"Ah,  me,  I  fear  that  many  generations  will  have 
passed  and  several  revolutions,  social  and  political, 
ere  my  people  shall  be  able  to  show  the  character 
that  indicates  an  organic  homogeneity  and  harmony 
anywhere  approaching  the  moral  order  prevailing 
here.  You  people  are  law-abiding  without  laws  to 
observe.  Each  man,  and  woman,  among  you  seems 
to  think  and  act  from  an  instinctive  sense  of  the 
fitness  of  things,  with  a  spontaneity  of  regard  for 
fairness  and  kindness  that  really  places  common 
statute  law  bearing  on  conduct  and  prescribing 
what  is  proper  or  improper  quite  at  fault." 


245 


My  companions  all  smiled  at  this,  as  if  my  mean- 
ing were  parabolic. 

"Certainly,  dear  Malcolm,  your  view  of  us  is  kind 
enough ;  yet  we  know  and  realize  that  there  remains 
much  room  for  improvement,  and  I  feel,  as  many 
others  do  also,  that  it  is  best  to  keep  ever  in  view 
the  possibilities  of  a  better  condition.  But,"  added 
this  remarkable  prophet  of  the  higher  wisdom, 
"I  shall  not  ask  you,  son,  to  give  much  more  of 
your  attention,  for  I  have  been,  I  fear,  a  little  self- 
ish in  talking  so  much  on  what  is  a  favorite  theme, 
you  know,  dear  friends." 

"No,  no,  brother  Daniel,  you  cannot  be  selfish; 
we  are  always  glad  to  hear  you." 

"Well,  well,  brothers,  a  few  more  words  only.  I 
would  say,  Malcolm,  that  the  possessions  we  value 
most  are  the  respect  and  affection  of  the  people  with 
whom  we  live,  and  although  as  individuals  there  is 
a  natural  difference  between  one  and  another  in  ca- 
pacity for  the  appreciation  of  the  spiritual  as  well 
as  for  understanding  natural  and  physical  things, 
yet  sympathy  and  kindness  and  affection  are  the  rul- 
ing features  of  our  every-day  life.  But,  Malcolm, 
among  your  own  people  there  are  not  wanting  illus- 
trations of  the  effect  of  kindness  and  mutuality  in 
modifying  the  common  selfish  nature.  Some  of 
your  rich  manufacturers  have  tried  the  experiment 
of  'Christian  socialism,'  as  you  call  it,  with  results 
of  great  improvement  to  their  industrial  community 
and  of  money  profit  to  themselves.     You  may  recall 

246 


the  'Familistere'  of  Godin,  the  Frenchman;  and  in 
the  United  States,  I  have  heard,  there  are  industrial 
and  agricultural  societies  that  are  models  of  har- 
mony, cooperation  and  contentment.  Ah,  my  dear 
boy,  when  the  strong  man  becomes  unselfish  and 
tender  toward  his  poor  brother,  and  endeavors  to 
elevate  him  intellectually  and  morally ;  when  he  real- 
izes the  similarity  of  soul  as  well  as  the  kinship  of 
blood  in  those  whom  fortune  has  compelled  to  be 
hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water  in  his  order  of 
civilization,  improvement  is  sure  to  follow  and  the 
community  will  take  on  a  brighter,  happier  condi- 
tion." 

AN    INTERNATIONAL    QUERY. 

"I  can  see  nov*-,  venerable  father,  how  a  people 
quite  apart  from  the  great  mass  of  the  world  could 
advance  toward  perfection  through  eschewing  in 
their  early  career  those  practices  and  usages,  too 
common  with  us,  that  tend  to  develop  the  selfishness 
of  human  nature  and  to  lower  the  moral  tone.  Yet, 
how  is  it  that  you  have  been  isolated  so  long?  Sure- 
ly your  existence  here  could  not  be  totally  unknown 
to  neighboring  peoples.  Before  the  great  geologic 
convulsion  there  must  have  been  some  exchanges  of 
civility  at  least  between  yourselves  and  bordering 
races.  You  bought  the  land  from  its  former  occu- 
pants, and  they  would,  of  course,  circulate  the  fact 
of  your  dwelling  here.    A  small  people,  prospering, 

247 


peaceful,  with  material  resources  of  extraordinary 
richness,  how  is  it  that  you  have  not  been  invaded, 
your  improvements  destroyed,  your  social  establish- 
ment ruined,  your  mines  and  factories,  such  as  they 
are,  seized  and  your  people,  as  a  country,  'annexed,' 
or  made  a  mere  appanage  and  tributary  to  the 
stronger  and  military  nation,  'for  civilization's  sake,' 
as  a  European  diplomat  might  say?" 

All  of  our  little  party  smiled  broadly  at  this  ques- 
tion, and  the  venerable  Norris,  regarding  me  with 
a  kind  expression,  in  which  a  vein  of  uncertainty  as 
to  my  object  lingered,  nodded  to  one  of  the  council- 
lors, who  took  up  the  conversation : 

"Ah,  Malcolm,  Providence  has  been  on  our  side. 
Perhaps  eighty  years  ago  we  were  too  insignificant. 
Now  we  are  walled  in  by  nature.  It  is  easier  to  get 
out  than  in.  One  can  fall  down  from  the  ridge  top, 
you  know,  and  roll  more  or  less  over  the  western 
terraces  toward  the  river."  He  said  this  with  a 
twinkle  of  irony.  "But  we  are  indeed  peaceful,  hat- 
ing all  animosities  and  differences  that  might  lead 
to  strife  and  division.  Like  the  Swiss,  in  their 
rough  mountains,  we  are  bound  closely  together  by 
a  common  affection;  by  a  common  tie  of  interest. 
Year  by  year  we  come  closer  together,  as  we  the 
better  understand  our  fortunate  relationships,  and 
know  the  better  how  to  be  happy ;  and,  although  our 
family  distinctions  are  well  marked  and  our  people 
are  well  distributed,  for  the  better  occupation  and 
improvement  of  our  territory,  we  are  all  brothers 

248 


and  sisters  in  cordial  feeling,  seeing  in  the  conduct 
and  happiness  of  others  our  own  happiness  reflect- 
ed." 

"Then  I  shall  infer,  my  friends,  that  one  source 
of  your  extraordinary  success  is  the  .mutual  altru- 
ism, as  our  philanthropists  term  it,  of  your  people. 
You  have  arrived  at  that  degree  of  moral  perfection 
that  the  ordinary  selfish  feelings  of  the  world  have 
been  subdued,  and,  instead  of  each  looking  upon  his 
own  things  for  his  own  advantage  and  profit,  he 
looks  upon  those  of  others,  and  wills  their  better- 
ment rather  than  his  own,  which  means,  of  course, 
the  general  welfare  of  your  community.  But  don't 
you  need  a  system  of  government,  a  kind  of  police 
or  official  oversight,  to  prevent  your  sympathy  and 
altruism  from  going  too  far,  and  thus  becoming  a 
real  source  of  weakness?  Why,  as  it  is,  you  have 
attained  a  true  anarchism,  a  most  remarkable  success 
in  the  experiment  of  doing  without  an  organized 
system  of  official  control.  In  our  boasted  civiliza- 
tion the  people  rejoice  in  authority.  Our  statesmen 
and  politicians  will  assure  you  that  it  means  power, 
energy,  the  control  of  the  rude  and  disturbing  ele- 
ments of  society,  and  with  its  reinforcement  of  po- 
lice and  military  makes  the  average  order-loving 
citizen  among  us  feel  secure  in  domestic  and  business 
affairs." 

"Ah,  Malcolm,"  returned  the  councillor,  "gov- 
ernment involves  authority;  to  what  end?  The  en- 
forcement of  certain  propositions  called  laws.    Thus 

249 


you  would  compel  people  to  adjust  their  conduct  to 
certain  standards  of  practice,  imperfect  and  indefi- 
nite enough  in  their  ethical  predications.  The  laws 
we  think  sufficient  are  written  in  no  ordinary  book  of 
statutes,  but  in  our  soul's  conscience.  You  remem- 
ber the  early  Israelites,  of  whom  it  is  said,  'And  He 
gave  them  a  king  in  His  anger'  ?  Do  the  serious- 
minded  who  follow  the  commandment  of  the  great 
King  of  the  Universe  need  to  be  governed  by  some 
tax-collecting,  ordinance-imposing  man  or  set  of 
men?  Look  abroad — history  and  experience  teach 
us.  Look  at  Iceland,  for  generations  a  peaceful,' 
happy  country " 

"Yes,  councillor,  I  remember  reading  the  de- 
lightful account  of  Madam  Pfeiffer.  It  is  more  like 
a  romance  than  a  recital  of  truth.  But  conditions 
geological  are  almost  the  reverse  here.  Iceland  is 
a  land  of  frowning  scenery,  rough  mountains,  ice 
peaks,  and  long  winters;  the  people  are  drawn  to- 
gether by  common  necessities  and  the  rigors  of  the 
location.  With  3^ou  the  situation  is  the  very  oppo- 
site. I  have  heard  that  the  Icelanders  have  one  po- 
liceman, who  is  maintained  not  so  much  because  of 
any  use  for  him  as  because  he  represents  or  sym- 
bolizes authority." 

"Very  likely  such  an  officer,  emblem  of  an  effete 
system,  gives  pleasure  to  some  of  those  good  folk," 
returned  the  councillor,  smiling,  "but  should  not  the 
favors  of  the  God  of  nature  stimulate  affection  and 
gratitude  in  the  hearts  of  men?     Are  we  not  told 

250 


that  love  is  above  the  law?  It  is  not  law  or  any 
cold,  prescriptive  course  of  conduct  that  we  think  of, 
but  an  affectionate  regard  for  each  other,  which  ex- 
perience has  strengthened  and  reason  has  tutored  in 
its  expression.  If  selfishness  be  at  the  root  of  the 
world's  misery  for  the  most  part,  as  you  have  in- 
timated, Malcolm,  here  where  one  is  as  good  as  an- 
other, and  can  have  as  much  as  another,  is  there  any- 
thing to  stimulate  selfishness?" 

"No,  it  certainly  does  not  appear  so  to  me.  Our 
merchants,  brokers,  politicians,  etc.,  would  pro- 
nounce your  ways  as  tame  and  unstimulating.  Your 
current  literature,  your  bulletins  and  exchanges 
would  be  far  from  satisfactory  to  our  people.  There's 
nothing  of  excitement  in  them ;  nothing  sensational ; 
nothing  of  the  police  court  or  the  trial  term,  with 
their  crass  detail  of  crime  and  licentiousness ;  noth- 
ing of  the  racetrack  and  the  sporting  field ;  nothing 
of  intrigues  and  cabals  of  political  factions ;  nothing 
of  railway  and  steamer  accidents,  with  their  gory 
list  of  injury  and  death;  nothing  of  state  feuds  and 
brutal  district  rivalries;  of  war  and  terrific  battles 
and  their  unspeakable  horrors;  of  labor  strikes,  etc., 
etc. — nothing,  in  fine,  of  those  startling,  disgusting, 
exasperating  things  that  make  up  the  major  part  of 
our  newspapers,  and  pander  to  the  morbid  appetites 
of  people." 

"Most  thankful  are  we,  Malcolm,  that  our  eyes 
do  not  encounter  such  print.  Only  familiarity,  dear 
boy,   could  enable  you  to  speak  of  such  unhappy 

2^1 


things  so  fluently.  Think  of  the  effect  of  reading 
them  upon  the  mind,  especially  of  the  young — how 
weakening  and  pernicious  in  suggestiveness  and 
teaching!  Do  you  realize — your  thinking  men  and 
women  of  the  North — the  extent  of  the  harm  done 
to  old  and  young  by  such  literature  as  that  you  have 
described  ?" 

'T  think  that  I  do,  dear  sir,  at  least  to  a  degree, 
and  I  fear  that  until  a  great  change  is  brought  about 
in  the  moral  status  of  the  masses  the  management  of 
our  press  will  not  show  a  marked  improvement  in 
sentiment  and  conduct.  Really,  I  consider  your  bul- 
letin sheets  interesting,  giving,  as  they  do,  full  ac- 
counts of  the  life  in  the  districts,  the  scientific,  in- 
dustrial and  social  events.  I  read  the  correspond- 
ence on  questions  of  a  civil  nature,  the  sketches  of 
individual  experience  in  different  lines,  with  pleas- 
ure, and  always  glean  a  deal  of  instruction  and  heart 
comfort  from  every  number  I  take  up.  There  is  a 
healthful  glow  in  the  cells  of  my  brain  after  such 
reading." 

"Happily  expressed,  my  young  friend.  That  is 
the  feeling  that  reading  should  produce,  and  our 
writers  aim  to  circulate  information  and  views  on 
current  topics  in  such  phrase  and  style  as  will  im- 
part an  agreeable  uplifting  stimulus  to  mind  and 
nerves.  Some  have  experimented  on  themselves  with 
the  breath  plate  soon  after  writing,  to  ascertain  the 
effect  upon  the  excreting  centers.  If  the  plate  field 
show  the  high-light  tone  and  delicate  line  distribu- 

252 


tion,  of  which  you  must  know  the  meaning-,  they  in- 
fer that  the  impression  of  their  statements  cannot 
be  otherwise  than  happy.  If  they  find  shaded  cross- 
hnes  or  a  hazy  duhiess  in  the  plate  that  compare  ill 
w^ith  previous  trials,  they  know  that  the  effect  of 
their  written  thought  will  not  be  of  the  quality  they 
would  have  it,  and  so  they  will  revise  their  composi- 
tion or  produce  fresh  pieces." 

AN    UNLIKELY    CONTINGENCY. 

"Ah,  dear  councillor,  if  our  newspaper  writers 
only  had  some  test  of  the  kind  1"  was  my  quick 
exclamation.  "Yet  I  am  far  from  sure  that  they 
would  try  it.  But,  going  back  to  the  old  topic,  sup- 
pose an  outbreak  in  one  of  your  districts  of  a  party 
who  had  become  disaffected  toward  the  state  of  af- 
fairs  "      All    in   the   company   shrugged   their 

shoulders  at  this,  and  drew  slightly  away,  as  if  there 
were  sedition  in  the  words.     I  hesitated. 

"Go  on,  ]\Ialcolm,  with  your  hypothesis,"  gravely 
interposed   Norris. 

"In  such  a  case,  where  would  be  your  protection ; 
where  your  remedy  to  restore  harmony,  since  you 
have  no  resource  in  the  way  of  an  organized  force 
to  meet  and  suppress  such  a  movement.  Your  coun- 
cil board  is  only  advisory,  and  has  no  backing  of 
club  or  gun." 

"Such  a  thing  is  scarcely  possible  now,"  said  the 
councillor,  with  strong  emphasis.     "You  can  imag- 

253 


ine  our  anxiety  in  this  respect,  dear  friend,  in  the 
earher  years,  when,  if  any  man  showed  a  sign  of 
disquiet  he  was  carefully  and  kindly  consulted  about 
its  cause,  and  as  the  principles  of  brotherhood  and 
equality  were  respected  always  in  such  consultations, 
and  no  man  or  company  of  men  assumed  to  com- 
mand or  lead  by  virtue  of  authority,  the  threatening 
cloud  soon  disappeared.  What  could  a  fellow-resi- 
dent among  us  want  ?  Food  ?  A  little  effort  and  the 
soil  yielded  an  abundant  variety.  Friendship,  broth- 
erly interest,  affection  ?  He  had  but  to  ask  for  them 
in  cordial  frankness  to  receive.  Was  he  jealous  of 
others,  or  envious,  because  of  their  higher  gift  of 
intellect  or  natural  capacity?  We  showed  him  the 
unwisdom  of  that,  for  no  higher  privileges  fell  to 
them  on  that  account,  but  rather  a  greater  responsi- 
bility to  their  weaker  brothers.  We  thought  it  right 
to  admire  capacity,  genius,  if  you  will,  in  such  of 
our  members  who  showed  those  qualities.  We 
thanked  our  Divine  Father  for  giving  us  men  and 
women  of  exceptional  talent,  and  at  the  same  time 
we  expected  them  to  do  more  than  the  average  for 
our  general  welfare,  and  as  a  rule  they  have  shown 
the  spirit  of  earnestness  in  doing  dutiful  service  for 
the  community." 

"Your  discrimination  or  lack  of  discrimination 
among  people  has  bothered  me  not  a  little,  gentle- 
men," I  here  interposed,  breaking  upon  the  quiet 
flow  of  the  veteran  teacher's  discourse,  "but  now  I 
begin  to  see  the  true  inwardness  of  your  relations  as 

254 


man  to  man.  Of  course,  you  must  appreciate  the 
differences  that  exist  among  your  people  as  fully  as 
we  North  may.  To  succeed  as  you  have  in  recon- 
ciling or  adjusting  these  differences  so  as  to  form  a 
homogeneous  community  is  a  very  remarkable  at- 
tainment, no  matter  what  principles,  moral  or 
spiritual,  have  guided  your  intercourse  with  each 
other." 

"Yes,  my  young  brother,  it  would  be  difficult  to 
explain  how  we  have  reached  our  present  condition 
of  unity.  We  have  not  all  the  diversities  of  type 
you  have,  with  your  great  foreign-fed  population, 
5'et  you  must  note  the  persistence  of  race  form  and 
characteristic  in  our  families,  showing  that  a  good 
variety  of  mental  and  physical  constitution  still  ex- 
ists among  us,  with  an  attendant  variety  of  capacity 
and  power.  Then,  too,  you  have  not  failed  to  see 
the  color  benign  thrown  upon  conduct  and  expres- 
sion by  established  moral  and  spiritual  habits.  Al- 
though fraternal  and  mutual  by  an  assimilation  that 
is  almost  natural,  yet  we  have  not  lost  our  individ- 
ualities, and  purpose  not  to  lose  them,  for  these  per- 
sonal distinctions  contribute  to  the  interest  and  en- 
joyment of  our  life." 

"Yes,  these  very  differences  of  character  which 
among  us  tend  to  division  and  inharmony,  you  ap- 
pear to  have  converted  to  your  solidification  and 
unity — quite  paradoxical  indeed,  I  am  bound  to 
admit.  Somewhere  in  my  readings  of  the  eminent 
evolutionist,  Herbert  Spencer,  of  whom  you  have 

255 


doubtless  heard,  my  elder  brothers" — all  m  the 
group  nodded  complacently — "he  discusses  the  ten- 
dencies of  diversity  and  their  effect  upon  social  con- 
ditions, and  speaks  of  a  'heterogeneous  homogeneity' 
as  consistent  with  good  order  and  progress.  Did  he 
know  of  your  community  he  would  doubtless  refer 
to  it  as  a  striking  evidence  of  the  soundness  of  his 
reasoning." 

*'\Ve  are  not  quite  ready  to  accept  all  the  views 
of  that  eminent  writer,"  said  Willis  Hay,  another 
of  the  company,  "for  it  seems  to  me  that  he  deals 
much  in  reasoning  of  the  hypothetical  class  and  ven- 
tures premises  that  are  wanting  the  just  proportion 
of  probability;  but  of  variety  and  diversity  in  the 
constituents  of  our  socialism  there  is  indeed  much 
remaining,  notwithstanding  our  long  seclusion  from 
the  great  world  of  nations.  When  you  realize,  Mal- 
colm, that  races  like  the  English,  Scotch,  French, 
Dutch,  Scandinavian,  Irish,  Spanish,  and  even  In- 
dians, are  represented  in  our  families,  you  can  per- 
ceive that  there  are  root  elements  that  resist  assimi- 
lation, and  that  we  are  far  from  having  reached  a 
composite  form  in  either  body  or  mind.  Nature  is 
slow  to  change  her  primary  forms,  and  is  constantly 
reminding  us  that  it  is  best  not  to  strive  for  their 
modification,  but  rather  to  adopt  and  adapt  them  in- 
telligently." 

"I  believe  in  the  principle,  most  worthy  friend, 
and  that  the  very  happiness  of  man  depends  to  a 
good  degree  upon  variety  of  organization  with  its 

256 


correspondent  diversity  of  expression,"  was  my 
hasty  attempt  at  corroboration  of  the  wise  assertion. 
The  councillor  resumed : 

"We  are  not  dull  in  the  perception  of  the  differ- 
ences our  people  show,  and  their  departures  from 
the  line  of  consistency  and  self-mastership,  but  from 
the  fairly  understood  point  of  view  of  their  differen- 
tial constitution  we  have  learned  to  be  tolerant  and 
forbearing,  and  mutually  helpful  in  the  most  im- 
portant respect  of  self-control.  Racial  peculiarities 
continue  to  impart  their  interesting-  color  to  conduct 
expression,  but  the  habits  of  sincerity,  truth  and  use- 
ful activity,  inculcated  in  childhood,  have  been  found 
competent  to  outgrow  and  subdue  vicious  and  un- 
healthful  elements  that  might  have  been  inherited 
from  the  parental  stock.  Your  social  or  commu- 
nistic undertakings  have  failed  for  the  most  part  on 
the  line  of  cooperation ;  some  individuals  were  will- 
ing to  serve  and  labor,  while  others  took  their  ease 
and  were  content  to  live  on  the  willing  workers. 
The  selfish  gainful  elements  were  not  entirely  laid 
aside,  and  there  would  be  outcroppings  now  and 
then  of  assumed  authority,  leadership  or  personal 
privilege  unpleasant  to  the  majority.  Further,  in 
most  of  the  experiments  there  was  exhibited  too 
much  of  a  lingering  fondness  for  the  'fleshpots'  of 
the  old  sensuous  life,  in  itself  a  vexatious  hindrance 
to  carrying  into  full  effect  the  purpose  of  the  under- 
taking. No;  those  people,  earnest  as  they  might 
have  appeared  in  the  outset,  did  not  'burn  their  old 

257 


bridges'  and  resolve  to  work  mightily,  heart  and 
hand  together  and  for  each  other.  We  soon  found 
that  the  less  of  self  meant  the  more  for  all — the  prac- 
tical consequence  of  individual  respect  for  our  Royal 
Law." 

The  worthy  speaker  ceased,  and  his  impressive 
words  were  followed  by  silence  for  a  time,  when 
the  venerable  Daniel  closed  the  discussion  by  a  ref- 
erence to  the  past : 

"If  you  think,  young  brother  from  the  outer 
world,  that  the  lack  of  a  visible  government  among 
us  is  so  remarkable,  what  say  you  to  that  reminis- 
cence of  Roman  history  as  told  by  Gibbon,  when, 
following  the  death  of  an  Emperor,  there  was  a  pe- 
riod of  eight  months  when  no  real  government  ex- 
isted, and  that  eight  months  was  distinguished  for 
its  pacific  and  happy  nature.  If  the  great  miscel- 
laneous population  of  Rome  could  thus  hold  itself  in 
check  and  live  harmoniously,  what  would  you  ex- 
pect reasonably  of  a  community  of  people  who  for 
generations  have  cultivated  the  arts  of  peace  and 
self-regulation?" 

"I  can  only  reply,"  was  my  answer,  "that  the 
comparison  is  overwhelmingly  in  your  favor." 


258 


CHAPTER  XX. 


A     DISCREET     STEP 


The  naturalness  of  these  people  was  exhibited  by 
the  universal  fondness  for  agriculture  in  some  form. 
Living  so  near  to  "nature's  heart,"  they  found  in 
the  soil  an  ever  fresh  inspiration  for  the  simple,  nor- 
mal life  which  gave  them  enough  of  duty  and  en- 
joyment for  the  exercise  of  all  their  faculties.  As 
every  family  had  its  field  and  garden,  so  every  one 
devoted  some  time  almost  daily  to  their  culture. 
When  out  riding  or  walking,  I  would  pass  old  men 
busy  in  the  vegetable  patch,  or  the  housewife  zeal- 
ously watering  or  training  her  plants  in  the  house 
court,  or  the  grown  boy  pruning  the  hedge  row,  or 
the  man  scrutinizing  his  trees  and  bushes  for  pre- 
dacious worms  and  insects,  and  occasionally  a  de- 
tail of  school  children  merrily  grubbing  out  the  fast- 
growing  weeds  that  invaded  roadway  and  path. 
Seeing  the  cheerful  and  intelligent  tillage  applied  to 
their  land,  one  could  not  entertain  surprise  that  in 
the  course  of  several  generations  the  inhabited  sec- 
tions had  assumed  the  appearance  of  a  great  park 
set  with  comfortable  houses  and  their  attendant 
buildings  in  picturesque  distribution.  I  could  not 
tire  of  rambling  amid  such  beautiful  scenery. 

259 


When  the  sun  had  decHned  well  toward  the  west- 
ern ridges  it  was  the  custom  of  the  people  generally 
to  come  into  the  open  for  pastime.  If  there  were 
any  system  recognized  in  their  industry  it  was  that 
seven  hours  of  labor  were  sufficient,  and  yet  this  re- 
striction was  not  looked  at  as  rigid,  for  any  one 
could  do  as  he  liked;  yet  whatever  was  toilsome, 
that  made  much  demand  upon  the  strength  of  mus- 
cle or  nerve,  should  not,  it  was  commonly  believed, 
be  pursued  beyond  that  interval  in  a  single  day  by 
any  person.  On  the  warm  summer  days  it  was  not 
expected — and  that  term  expected  had  the  effect  in 
the  unwritten  code  of  the  country  of  a  social  ordi- 
nance— that  any  of  the  people  work  under  exposure 
to  the  meridian  sun,  and  that  physical  effort  during 
the  heated  term  indoors  or  out-of-doors  would  be 
moderate.  In  the  late  afternoon,  however,  it  was 
assumed  that  everybody  would  give  attention  for 
some  space  at  least  to  outdoor  exercise,  for  recrea- 
tion and  neighborly  amenity.  So  the  roads  and 
alleys  and  lanes  between  sixteen  and  seventeen  hours 
of  the  roadside  chronometers  resounded  with  the 
shouts  of  happy  children,  and  their  elders  were  seen 
joining  in  the  games  or  walking  in  groups  in  vari- 
ous directions.  To  me  a  ramble  at  this  time  by  the 
waterside  was  especially  agreeable.  In  the  cool  shade 
of  trees  there  was  refreshment  more  delicious  than  in 
a  Delmonico  sherbet,  and  the  lively  chat  of  a  3'-outh- 
ful  companion  added  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  hour. 
Of  the  young  women,  Ellice  and  Stella  most  often 

260 


walked  with  me.  Latterly  Ellice  was  the  more  fre- 
quent companion.  Indeed,  her  young  friend  made 
some  show  of  withdrawing  whenever  the  teacher 
offered  her  society,  and  to  a  more  or  less  delicate  re- 
monstrance would  answer  in  a  tone  of  pique  that 
caused  me  a  little  uncertainty  whether  she  were  act- 
ing a  part  or  not  in  favor  of  Ellice. 

The  manner  of  the  people  led  me  to  be  more  de- 
monstrative in  my  feelings  than  was  my  wont,  it 
must  be  said,  and  if  my  responses  to  the  affectionate 
address  of  a  girl  bred  in  that  frank  atmosphere  be- 
came similar  in  kind,  there  was  no  prurient  fancy  in 
their  expression.  My  admiration  for  Ellice  was 
such  that  I  felt  no  little  satisfaction  in  her  considera- 
tion for  me;  and  if  I  had  entertained  any  thought  of 
the  existence  of  a  special  sentiment  in  her  breast  for 
me,  the  affair  of  the  old  mine-pit  forced  the  convic- 
tion that  such  thought  was  not  far  out  of  the  way. 
I  then  determined  to  make,  at  the  earliest  opportu- 
nity, such  a  declaration  of  my  attitude  toward  the 
delicate  subject  of  marriage  that  might  prevent  a 
possible  complication  that  later  could  be  embarrass- 
ing to  both,  and  perhaps  very  awkward  for  me. 

"Where  are  you  going  now,  Malcolm?" 

"A  little  way,  Ellice,  if  you  care,  down  the  Vera, 
and  over  to  the  island  to  listen  to  the  troupials  for 
a  little  while." 

Ten  minutes  brought  us  to  the  bank  of  this  sup- 
posed tributary  to  the  upper  waters  of  the  Para- 
guay, and,  crossing  on  the  liglit  and  graceful  steel 

261 


bridge,  we  were  soon  upon  the  mossy  turf  of  the 
fairy-like  island  that  seemed  to  float  upon  the  crystal 
surface  of  the  stream  that  at  this  point  had  widened 
to  three  times  it  breadth,  as  if  to  furnish  a  special 
lodgement  for  its  islet  ward.  This  little  morsel  of 
soil  and  vegetation  was  a  natural  aviary;  it  was 
given  up  to  the  birds.  Any  time  of  the  day  its  trees 
and  bushes  were  teeming  with  feathered  creatures  of 
varied  hues,  and  their  songs  and  cries  filled  the  warm 
and  fragrant  air.  Here  I  found  a  deal  of  pleasure 
in  listening  to  these  airy  vocalists  and  watching  their 
movements.  An  old  citron  tree  on  the  brink  of  the 
stream  had  in  its  early  growth  been  bent  near  the 
ground  at  almost  a  right  angle,  and  later,  when 
cleared  of  its  upper  growth  for  three  or  four  feet, 
made  a  rustic  bench  on  which  two  persons  could  sit 
comfortably.  This  was  my  lounging  place  when- 
ever I  crossed  the  Vera  to  the  island,  and  Ellice  and 
I  had  sat  there  together  more  than  once.  Now,  on 
reaching  the  tree,  the  girl  and  I  took  possession  of 
the  convenient  resting  place. 

But  little  had  been  said  during  our  walk  thither. 
Perhaps  what  I  had  been  meditating  constrained  my 
talk,  and  if  there  seemed  to  be  a  shade  upon  Ellice's 
brow  it  was  but  the  reflection  of  my  own  gravity. 
The  troupials  were  numerous — more  so  than  usual — 
and  their  outbursts  of  song  were  incessant,  w^hile 
the  black  and  3^ellow-coated  fellows  obtruded  their 
presence  in  impertinent  glee  almost  within  hand's 
reach.    One  saucy  chap  hopped  upon  a  twig  so  near 

262 


to  Ellice  that  she  touched  his  tail  ere  he  sprang  away 
with  a  whistle  of  defiance. 

"A  bold  rascal !"  I  exclaimed.  *'You  might  have 
caught  him,  Ellice." 

'Terhaps — I  did  not  try." 

"I  don't  wonder  that  the  birds  are  fond  of  you; 
they  are  sagacious  enough  to  know  their  special 
friends." 

"These  birds,  I  think,  Malcolm,  are  particularly 
intelligent.  There  is  one  that  comes  and  sits  on  my 
window  ledge,  and  I  talk  to  him,  and  he  twitters 
and  whistles  as  if  understanding  me.  But  did  you 
not  sigh  just  now,  dear  friend?" 

"Did  I,  Ellice?    Well,  I  have  been  thinking." 

"Thinking!    Does  thinking  make  you  sigh  now?" 

"Sometimics  when  the  thought  is  of  things  not 
over-pleasant." 

"May  I  ask,  my  dear  Malcolm,  what  that  is  which 
is  not  over-pleasant  to  you  ?" 

"Certainly,  my  girl ;  everything  here  is  so  beauti- 
ful and  charming  that  I  cannot  help  comparing  it 
with  home;  and  then  comes  the  fateful  suggestion 
that  soon — too  soon — I  must  recross  that  soaring 
ridge  to  return  to  my  old  place,  perhaps  never  again 
to  see,  and  rarely  ever  to  hear  from,  this  paradise  of 
earth." 

My  face  was  partly  averted  as  I  spoke,  yet  with  a 
side  glimpse  of  the  girl's  face.  Her  eyes  were  bent 
upon  the  water  flowing  gently  by.  I  saw  the  color 
in  her  cheek  fade  suddenly  and  her  bosom  heave 

263 


tremulously.  Then  she  turned  those  lustrous,  frank 
eyes  upon  me. 

"And  must  you  go  so  soon?" 

The  voice  was  steady,  but  so  low  that  had  I  not 
been  close  to  her  I  could  not  have  caught  the  words. 

"Not  immediately,  to  be  sure,  Ellice;  yet,  when 
one's  duty  and  work  come  into  mind,  and  the  season 
of  activity  for  those  in  my  line  of  business  is  open- 
ing, I  cannot  help  giving  heed  to  the  prompting." 

"Oh,  Malcolm,  have  you  thought " 

The  voice  was  still  low,  and  toned  with  a  rich, 
deep  earnestness  that  thrilled  me  as  never  Lucia  in 
her  most  passionate  outburst  had  moved  my  appre- 
ciative feeling.  I  waited  for  the  completion  of  the 
sentence,  but  she  turned  away  those  liquid  eyes  si- 
lently and  sat  like  a  statue,  gazing  in  the  distance. 

"Perhaps,  dear  friend,  I  feel  your  meaning.  I 
have  thought " 


"Oh, "  and  those  deep  eyes  rested  on  mine  for 

an  instant,  and  again  were  gazing  away.  It  was 
well,  for,  with  that  gaze  on  my  face,  it  were  doubt- 
ful whether  my  courage  would  have  sustained  my 
purpose.  As  it  was,  after  a  moment's  pause  I  went 
on: 

"Yes,  many  a  time  have  I  thought  of  what  might 
be  possible  between  us — you  and  me,  Ellice.  I 
should  be  a  hypocrite  not  to  own  it,  and  yet,  when 
the  fact  obtruded  itself  that  you,  in  form  and  being, 
soul  and  body,  were  of  a  type  so  much  above " 

"No, "  the  girl  sprang  up;   "Malcolm,  no; 

264 


say  not  so.  You  wrong  yourself.  If  I  have  in- 
dulged feelings  as  a  woman  that  I  never  quite  felt 
before,  it  has  been  of  my  own  heart's  prompting. 
But  what  am  I  saying?" 

She  had  faced  me  as  she  started  to  her  feet,  with 
one  hand  clasping  the  exquisitely  molded  neck  and 
the  other  extended  in  the  pose  of  entreaty,  while  the 
warm  blood  flushed  deeply  in  cheek  and  chin.  I 
could  not  resist  the  impulse  to  start  from  my  seat 
and  take  her  extended  hand. 

"Dear  Ellice,  to  you  I  owe  my  best  enjoyments 
here  where  my  every  hour  has  been  filled  with  happy 
experiences,  and  most  surely  will  my  soul  treasure 
the  kindness  and  affection  so  frankly  given,  and, 
may  I  say — can  I  say,  how  much  will  be  the  regret 
of  leaving  you?" 

Gently  withdrawing  her  hand,  she  placed  her 
finger-tips  upon  my  lips,  while  her  dark  eyes  filled 
with  tears.  There  we  stood,  face  to  face,  for  a  few 
seconds  in  silence.  No  line  of  reproach  marked  her 
sweet  face,  made  sweeter  now  by  the  tears  that 
dropped  from  the  open  lids  and  trickled  down  over 
the  soft  cheek.  My  own  flowed,  too,  and  dimmed 
my  vision.    Finally  she  spoke  first : 

"We  knew  that  you  could  not  stay,  Malcolm,  but 
was  it  wrong  to  indulge  even  a  hope?  Perhaps  you 
can  return  to  us — but  now  'tis  for  us  a  parting  in- 
deed, dear  friend — yes,  dear  friend  ever  in  mem- 
ory— though  in  my  heart  I  will  keep  repeating  'a 
happy  meeting  soon.'  " 

265 


She  was  so  near,  her  parted  lips  so  full  and  rich 
with  the  fervid  current  of  life,  that  I  bent  over  and 
touched  them  with  my  own. 

"Let  this  seal  our  friendship,  dear  girl."  With- 
out moving  she  received  this  tribute  of  regard,  the 
color  going  and  returning  in  the  clear  skin.  Then, 
throwing  up  her  hands,  she  grasped  my  face  be- 
tween them  and  stood  for  a  little  gazing  into  my  eyes 
as  if  to  read  my  inmost  soul.  What  deep  eyes  were 
hers?  Their  brown  irises  seemed  to  expand  to  the 
full  width  of  the  open  lids  and  glow  with  a  brilliancy 
beyond  the  human!  What  strength,  too,  in  those 
small  hands!  For  the  moment  I  felt  weak  under 
that  gaze  and  pressure.  What  man  of  any  pretense 
to  delicacy  and  tenderness  would  not  have  felt  as 
I  did,  so  close  to  and  so  caressed  by  so  beautiful  and 
true  a  woman.  But  the  precious  moments  sped,  too 
sweet  to  last.  With  a  deep  sigh  she  closed  those 
marvelous  eyes,  and  then  pressed  her  lips  to  mine — a 
long  kiss,  the  only  one  I  ever  had  from  her.  Gently 
removing  her  hands  from  my  face.  Ell  ice  turned 
silently  away.  Then  came  the  sweet,  low  peal  of 
the  evening  Angelus.  The  sun  had  dropped  upon 
the  ridge.  In  whispered  accents  we  repeated  the 
beautiful  formula  of  prayer — for  her,  for  me,  an 
opportune  message  of  grace  and  consolation.  "Fa- 
ther Divine,"  she  added,  "be  with  our  friend  wher- 
ever he  may  go ;  keep  him  safely  when  absent  from 
us." 

"Amen !"   I   murmured,   and   continued :     "Keep 
266 


safely,  Lord  of  all  grace,  this  dear  girl,  and  let  her 
joy  be  full  to  the  overflowing." 

Returning  to  Bruces'  we  were  met  at  the  doorway 
by  Stella,  who  cried : 

"How  you  two  people  have  lagged  along!  Here 
we  are  all  at  the  table !  You  must  have  been  much 
entertained  by  each  other." 

The  girl's  sally  drew  no  return  fire,  as  customary, 
for  I  was  in  no  mood  for  badinage,  and  Ellice's  face, 
though  cheerful,  wore  an  expression  of  deep  pen- 
siveness.    Noting  this,  the  lively  girl  added  : 

"Well,  now,  have  you  seen  more  snakes  on  the 
island — or  something  worse  ?  I  thought  of  sending 
Jabber  in  pursuit  of  you,  but,  you  know,  he's  so 
funny  about  crossing  running  water." 

"We  have  seen  no  snakes,  my  Stella,"  ventured 
Ellice,  placing  an  arm  around  her,  "but  I  have  seen 
what  seems  of  much  greater  concern  than  anything 
reptilian — a  vision  of  the  inevitable." 

In  answer  to  this  remark  the  girl  looked  wonder- 
ingly  at  Ellice  and  then  at  me,  evidently  quite  at 
loss  to  understand  her  teacher  friend's  remark,  but 
as  the  expression  of  gravity  on  her  face  did  not 
change,  she  exclaimed : 

"You  poor,  darlingest  darling,  come  in  and  have 
supper  with  us,  and  dream  of  your  great-great- 
grandfather to-night,  if  you  will." 

The  thoughtful  expression  melted  into  a  smile  at 
this  outburst  of  grotesque  tenderness,  and  the  two, 
embracing,  followed  me  into  the  house. 

267 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


FROM    HOME  AND  OLIVE. 


The  "raven  mail"  had  brought  me  letters  from 
home,  which  I  found  on  my  table  on  going  up  after 
supper.  The  reader  will  remember  the  ravens  that 
carried  down  from  the  ridge  certain  conveniences 
just  before  the  ascent  of  that  natural  barrier  and  my 
entrance  into  Oudemon.  Those  ravens  and  others 
trained  for  the  purpose  were  a  sort  of  special  mes- 
sengers and  mail-carriers.  The  letter  sent  by  the 
very  few  agents  of  the  country  who  might  be  trav- 
eling somewhere  in  the  "outer  sphere"  were  directed 
to  the  small  plantation  settlement  called  Vadera  by 
its  proprietor,  at  which  I  saw  my  guide,  Julius.  It 
was  assumed  by  the  Bolivian  official,  who  united  in 
one  person  collector  of  customs  and  postman  for 
that  thinly  occupied  region  on  the  Brazilian  fron- 
tier, that  the  small  packages  addressed  "Guapore 
Ridges,  via  Vadera"  he  at  rather  long  intervals  car- 
ried to  the  hacienda,  were  for  a  party  of  miners  or 
herdsmen,  whose  eccentricity  was  shown  by  their 
training  a  raven  to  carry  messages.  "Wise  as  a 
raven"  was  often  heard  in  the  talk  of  my  new 
friends,  a  curious  substitute  that  had  not  to  me  the 
euphemism  of  the  more  familiar  "Wise  as  an  owl ;" 

268 


yet  a  few  weeks  of  Oudemon  life  satisfied  me  that 
there  was  good  reason  for  the  substitution  of  raven 
for  owl.  They  had  found  a  use  for  "the  bird  of  ill- 
omen,"  and  he  had  shown  a  precocity  and  fidelity  in 
response  to  their  care  and  training  that  have  never, 
to  my  knowledge,  been  exhibited  by  any  specimen 
of  the  wide-eyed  night  marauders. 

In  many  families  the  raven  was  fully  domesti- 
cated as  a  messenger  for  the  women,  much  as  the 
nimble  monkey  was  employed  by  the  men.  Nat- 
urally, when  this  feature  of  their  practice  became 
known  to  my  observation,  I  inquired  why  they  did 
not  use  pigeons,  and  learned  that  there  were  no 
pigeons  in  the  country.  A  little  experience  satisfied 
me  that  the  raven  was  the  better  bird  for  their  pur- 
poses; although  slower  of  flight  than  our  carrier 
he  was  much  stronger  on  the  wing  and  a  surer  serv- 
ant, not  fearing  any  of  the  larger  birds  of  the  plain 
and  mountain. 

One  of  the  letters  was  from  Olive: 

"My  Dear  Malcolm  :  I  was  rejoiced  when  your 
letter  came.  Two  entire  months  since  your  depart- 
ure, and  the  only  word  directly  to  the  girl  you  were 
wont  to  call  *my  confidante.'  Being  so  little  of  the 
traveler  and  unused  to  the  peculiar  and  often  ab- 
sorbing things  that  are  met  in  strange  countries,  I 
cannot  appreciate  their  effect  upon  one's  attention; 
but  I  know  your  disposition  to  study  whatever 
proves  interesting,  especially  in  human  life,  and  try 

269 


to  extenuate  the  seeming  neglect  of  friends  at  home. 
From  your  description  of  the  countries  and  peo- 
ples through  which  you  passed  on  the  way  south- 
ward, you  must  have  had  incident  enough  to  fill 
your  time  and  thought.  Everything  so  novel,  and 
so  unexpected,  and  then  your  constant  march,  could 
have  scarcely  allowed  you  time  to  draw  a  deep 
breath,  much  less  to  write  letters.  There  was  no 
elaborately  furnished  club  to  drop  into  by  the  way, 
with  desk  and  stationery  in  sight  to  invite  easy  use. 

"You  were  a  good  boy,  though,  to  remember  your 
mother  as  you  have  when  opportunity  has  offered, 
and  your  lines,  though  brief,  have  given  her  no  lit- 
tle solace.  The  last  message,  dated  'On  the  Gua- 
pore,'  and  sent  by  your  guide  on  his  return  west- 
ward, had  much  of  mystery  in  it;  but  the  assurance 
that  you  would  soon  be  among  friends,  and  'do  not 
entertain  any  anxiety  if  you  do  not  hear  from  me 
but  seldom  until  I  start  on  the  homeward  course,' 
led  her  to  say:  'Well,  I  suppose  it  will  be  as  it  was 
when  he  went  to  Egypt  and  got  among  so  many 
attractive  things;  he  will  forget  us,  until  he  wakes 
up  some  fine  morning  and  finds  so  little  money  in 
his  belt  that  he  does  not  know  whether  he  can  pay 
expenses  until  he  gets  among  people  who  speak 
English.' 

"You  tell  me  that  the  folks  into  whose  arms  you 
have  fallen  don't  use  money.  I  wonder  how  they 
can  get  along.  At  any  rate,  you  will  save  yours 
while  there.    It  seems  to  me  it  must  be  a  very  prim- 

270 


itive  country  compared  with  ours — everything  so 
fresh,  and  simple,  and  true.  I  don't  wonder  at  your 
admiration;  but  to  my  inexperienced  intelHgence 
there  is  a  vein  of  romance  in  your  description  of 
the  customs  and  character  of  the  men  and  women 
you  meet.  To  find  a  community  of  that  sort  in  the 
heart  of  a  continent  we  have  been  accustomed  to  re- 
gard as  but  half-civiHzed  at  best — are  you  not  'johy- 
ing'  us?  Then  those  girls  you  give  us  a  'snap  shot' 
of — certainly  they  must  be  charming.  You  must 
fetch  home  some  photos  of  them,  or,  better,  a  real 
life  specimen  for  us  to  see  and  admire.  That  would 
make  quite  a  sensation  here — our  inveterate  bachel- 
or, Malcolm,  bringing  home  a  (you  do  not  tell  us  of 
the  race  or  consanguinity,  and  our  imagination  can- 
not supply  the  lacking  term)  bride  from  the  wilds  of 
Brazil,  or  Paraguay,  or  Argentine,  or  whatever 
the  country  you  have  strayed  into. 

"Many  have  been  the  inquiries  about  you.  The 
Sealings  were  in  yesterday.  Madeline  was  quite 
earnest  in  her  demands  as  to  when  you  were  expect- 
ed home,  and  two  or  three  others  in  our  set  have  in- 
timated their  opinion  that  you  must  find  those  In- 
dians or  mestizo  girls  very  charming  to  stay  so  long 
among  them.  There  is  a  deal  of  quite  amusing 
curiosity  entertained  by  everybody  regarding  your 
wanderings;  so,  when  you  do  return,  expect  to  be 
bombarded  with  questions. 

"At  any  rate,  come  back  to  us  with  all  your  old 
self  unimpaired,  and  you  may  be  sure  you  will  find 

271 


no  change  in  the  regard  of  your  friends,  some  of 
whom  feel  your  absence  perhaps  more  than  you 
think. 

"There  are  rumors  of  trouble  and  revolution  in 
Colombia.  You  will  not,  dear  Malcolm,  venture  in 
that  direction  or  expose  yourself  to  any  dangers  un- 
necessarily on  the  return  trip.  You  know  the  char- 
acter of  those  uncertain  people.  The  petit  mere  is 
quite  well,  and  also  the  sisters.  George  grumbles 
about  what  you  can  find  to  do  or  see  'down  there,' 
and  affects  to  believe  that  you  are  'spinning  too  much 
yarn'  in  your  account  of  the  sagacity  of  Jabber.    .    . 

"I  am  sure  that  you  have  a  good  work  in  hand 
and  will  come  to  us  ere  long  much  profited  by  your 
travel  and  experiences;  and  your  friends,  too,  will 
be  gainers  by  what  you  have  learned  in  that  strange 
country.     Ever  most  sincerely.  Olive." 

The  dear  girl !  Her  kind  message  had  come  at  a 
time  most  opportune.  Aly  feelings  had  never  been 
so  wrought  up  before  as  by  the  interview  with  El- 
lice.  Her  distress  had  shown  too  clearly  the  depth 
of  her  regard  for  me,  and,  while  in  the  rare  nobility 
and  generosity  of  her  nature  and  habit  she  absolved 
me  from  any  dishonorable  or  unmanly  thought  or 
purpose  in  my  relations  to  her,  I  could  not  avoid 
some  self-reproach.  Had  I  maintained  a  cooler  and 
less  responsive  attitude,  there  would  not  have  grown 
so  strong  a  sentiment.  Yet,  considering  all  the  cir- 
cumstances, the  ways  of  the  people,  the  independence 

272 


of  the  women  in  affairs  of  the  heart,  their  unusual 
intelHgence  and  fairness  in  matters  of  social  com- 
munication, the  unwitting  indiscretion  of  a  stranger 
would  doubtless  find  many  apologists  if  the  matter 
should  become  known.  In  reading  Olive's  letter 
there  settled  upon  my  spirit  a  refreshing  calmness. 
She  had  never  written  in  such  terms  to  me  before; 
i.e.,  never  had  given  so  clear  a  view  of  her  own 
heart;  for,  back  of  the  affected  badinage,  I  was  sure 
that  I  read  the  true  story  of  an  earnest  affection  for 
me. 

Pensively  I  sat  for  some  time,  the  open  letter  in 
one  hand,  and  drifted  into  a  comparison  of  the  two 
girls,  with  surprise  noting  a  marked  similarity  in 
many  qualities.  Ellice  w^as  the  more  liberally  en- 
dowed wath  charms  of  form  and  feature,  and  more 
advanced  in  those  lines  of  esthetic  culture  that 
strongly  attract  a  man  of  taste;  but  Olive's  large 
gray-browii  eyes  softly  beamed  with  as  much  frank- 
ness and  her  well-balanced  expression  evinced  a 
similar  habit  of  considerate  reflection.  She  was  on 
occasion  generous  and  self-sacrificing  to  a  fault,  yet 
exemplary  in  foresight  and  prudence,  and  in  emer- 
gencies exhibited  uncommon  self-control  and  ex- 
ecutive capacity.  Strong  in  will,  she  was  neverthe- 
less modest  and  delicate  in  demeanor,  impressing 
most  persons  who  did  not  know  her  w^ith  the  idea 
that  she  w'as  diffident  and  yielding.  She  was  sensi- 
tive, craved  kindness  and  attention  from  others, 
and  toward  her  friends  always  manifested  a  stanch 

273 


loyalty.  Honest  and  pure  in  every  motive  and 
thought,  she  expected  others  in  expression  and  con- 
duct to  be  honest  and  pure,  and  her  respect  was  col- 
ored by  the  tone  of  character  she  saw  in  others. 

I  suspected  that  there  had  been  something  of  a 
disappointment  in  her  early  maidenhood  regarding 
a  certain  young  man  of  handsome  physique  and  bril- 
liant mind,  whose  life  as  known  to  his  male  inti- 
mates was  darkened  by  habits  or  indiscretions  of  a 
vicious  nature  too  common  among  our  bright  young 
men.  Once  possessed  of  a  knowledge  of  his  moral 
irregularity,  Olive's  white  soul  could  not  but  recoil 
from  further  contact  with  him,  however  it  might 
strain  the  cords  of  her  heart.  This  experience,  or 
whatever  else  the  trial  might  have  been,  imparted  a 
tender  phase  to  her  character  and  softened  certain 
forceful  elements  that  previously  tended  to  show 
their  color  when  her  feelings  were  strongly  aroused. 
Now,  at  full  maturity  of  mind  and  body,  we  who 
knew  her  truly,  deemed  her  worthy  of  any  sta- 
tion in  social  life;  and  I  am  not  reluctant  to  admit 
that  her  acquaintance  exerted  not  a  small  influence 
upon  my  bachelor  course. 

Again  I  read  the  letter  slowly,  its  tender  lines 
suggesting  other  reflections,  and  at  the  end  I  uttered 
half  aloud :  "Noble,  charming  girl,  how  precious 
your  sympathy  and  cheer  is  to  me!  What  a  friend 
I  have  in  you!  May  we  not  be  even  more  than 
friends  in  the  near  future?" 

A  tap  at  the  doorway.  I  said  "Enter,  friend," 
274 


and  Stella  tripped  in.  Stopping  short  and  eyeing 
me  closely,  the  girl  burst  out : 

"I  am  glad  you  feel  better,  big  cousin ;  something 
in  that  letter  (I  still  held  Olive's  missive  in  my 
hand)  that  helps?  You  were  so  pitiful-looking  at 
supper  that  I  wanted  to  try  to  do  something  for  you. 
If  it  was  about  Ellice — yes — oh,  I  am  so  sorry,  but 
I  know  you  meant  well.  Excuse  me,  dear  cousin ;  I 
am  only  a  little  girl  to  you,  but  I  love  you  as  one  of 
my  dear  friends,  you  know." 

She  had  caught  up  my  hand  and  gazed,  while 
speaking,  into  my  face,  her  pure  eyes  dilating  with 
interest.  Pressing  the  small  brown  fingers  caress- 
ingly, I  answered : 

"You  are  a  little  sister  of  mercy  and  consolation, 
my  dear  Stella.  Thank  you  for  such  full  sym- 
pathy, and  I  shall  take  you  into  my  confidence" — 
holding  up  the  letter — "but  not  just  now.  Perhaps 
to-morrow  we  will  talk.  I  need  a  little  time  yet  for 
reflection." 

"To-morrow  'twill  be  better,  cousin  Malcolm,  for 
Stiles  Morgan  is  here  and  wants  to  look  over  your 
goalone.  He  has  another  improvement  to  put  on 
it,  and  then  we'll  try  it,  won't  we  ?" 

"Certainly,  ma  petite.  We'll  go  right  down  to 
see  the  good  fellow." 


275 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

IN   A    LABORATORY    WITH    ITS    MASTER. 

Shortly  before  my  leaving  home  for  this  visit 
to  Oudemon  our  newspapers  had  given  more  or 
less  exciting  accounts  of  a  strange  insect  of  the 
beetle  variety  that  had  become  the  terror  of  com- 
munities in  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas.  Its  bite  or 
sting  was  said  to  be  fatal  in  nearly  every  case.  The 
mortality  among  children,  due  to  its  malignancy,  was 
most  alarming.  The  virus  of  its  bite  acted  so  rap- 
idly that  very  few  of  the  victims  could  receive  treat- 
ment in  season  to  have  effect,  if  any,  in  counter- 
action. Then,  too,  the  ignorance  of  the  medical 
profession  with  regard  to  the  nature  of  the  insect 
put  the  practitioner  at  so  great  a  disadvantage  that 
no  treatment  offered  much  hope  of  benefit.  The  an- 
tidotes or  antiseptics  used  in  rattlesnake,  cobra, 
adder,  tarantula  and  other  like  poisoning  were  with- 
out efificacy;  so  that  resort  was  had  to  the  prophy- 
laxis of  exterminating  the  offensive  creature,  organ- 
ized efforts  being  set  on  foot  to  find  and  destroy  it. 

The  confident  way  in  which  Percy  had  consulted 
Lewis  Pentersoe  in  behalf  of  ElHce  led  me  to  that 
learned  gentleman,  or  rather,  according  to  the  vogue, 
"studious  brother,"  thinking  that  he  might  advise 

276 


a  method  of  treatment  of  some  efficacy.  Stopping 
at  Pentersoe's  house  while  on  a  round  with  my  go- 
alone,  I  was  conducted  by  his  mother  to  the  labora- 
tory, finding  him  there  deeply  engaged  upon  an 
analysis  of  water  from  a  recently  discovered  spring. 
Praying  him  to  continue  his  work,  as  I  was  not  hur- 
ried, I  sat  down  and  chatted  with  the  old  lady  until 
the  chemist  had  reached  a  stage  that  made  it  con- 
venient to  suspend  his  procedure.  Meanwhile  my 
eyes  had  been  roving  over  the  equipment  of  the 
large  room  and  were  surprised  by  the  number  and 
variety  of  the  instruments  and  the  quantity  of  ma- 
terials assembled  there.  From  my  recollection  of 
Northern  laboratories,  it  seemed  to  me  that  this 
workshop  of  an  unpretending  Oudemon  chemist  and 
botanist  exceeded  them  all  for  convenience  and  com- 
pleteness. 

There  was  even  a  rack  in  a  side  alcove  with  an 
array  of  tubes,  glasses  and  microscopes.  In  many 
of  the  tubes  there  were  syrupy-looking  masses  and 
cotton-like  stoppers,  which  were  recalled  years  after- 
ward by  the  culture  apparatus  for  bacteria  employed 
by  our  biologists.  Upon  the  walls  hung  bookshelves 
with  many  volumes  whose  titles  in  the  common  style 
to  which  I  was  accustomed  indicated  that  they  had 
come  from  the  outside  world.  There  were  treatises 
on  chemistry,  physiology,  histology,  anatomy,  etc., 
with  authors'  names  that  had  been  met  with  in  my 
reading.     Verily,  the  science  and  learning  of  our 


^77 


civilization  were  respected  here  and  applied  with 
evident  intelligence. 

A  singular  combination  of  glass  and  polished 
metal  tubing,  with  cylindrical  vessels  and  alembic- 
like expansions  on  appropriate  stands,  held  my  at- 
tention for  a  while.  Its  beauty  and  intricacy  evi- 
denced a  procedure  of  unusual  delicacy,  and  prompt- 
ed inquiry  as  to  its  nature  when  opportunity  might 
offer. 

Mother  Pentersoe  and  I  were  still  chatting  when 
Lewis  remarked: 

"Am  gratified,  friend  Malcolm,  to  observe  your 
interest  in  our  surroundings  here." 

"Ah,  my  dear  Lewis,  I  have  a  curious  disposition 
for  novelty,  as  you  have  detected,  although  your 
surroundings  appear  to  combine  both  things  that 
have  been  met  with  North  and  others  quite  new  to 
me.  You  have  a  finely  equipped  workroom,  I  must 
say." 

"So  you  think  it  compares  favorably  with  those 
in  your  country?" 

"Yes,  indeed.  I  am  sure  many  an  institution 
among  our  universities  would  be  considered  fortu- 
nate with  such  a  plant  for  research  as  you,  a  simple 
Oudemonite,  if  you  will  pardon  the  phrase,  possess. 
When  the  expense  of  furnishing  this  room  is  con- 
sidered  " 

"Expense — how  ?" 

"Oh,  I  had  forgotten  that  you  dear  folks  make 
no  account  of  cost.    As  students  of  nature's  secrets 

278 


you  have  a  sort  of  carte  blanche  for  whatever  of  ap- 
pHance  or  material  you  may  need." 

"Well,  Malcolm,"  he  returned,  laughing,  "it  may 
be  so.  But  do  you  mean  to  say  that  your  men  of 
science,  performing  work  of  value  to  the  commu- 
nity on  economic  and  moral  lines,  are  not  amply 
sustained  by  the  community?" 

"Few,  indeed,  I  regret  to  say,  are  compensated  or 
encouraged  to  apply  their  talent  and  learning  as  they 
would  most  gladly." 

"This  is  strange  enough,  considering  what  talent 
and  learning  your  people  have,"  pointing  as  he 
spoke  to  his  bookshelves.  "Here  with  us,  my  work, 
like  the  work  of  anyone  else,  is  made  a  common 
cause,  all  helping  in  some  respect  to  sustain  me  and 
other  chemists ;  my  success  in  a  given  course  of  ex- 
periment or  analysis  becomes  the  success  of  Oude- 
mon." 

"Verily,  an  ideal  scientific  association.  How 
many  of  our  devoted  naturalists,  chemists,  biolo- 
gists, would  rejoice  to  know  your  freedom !  But,  to 
be  a  little  more  pertinent,  Lewis,  may  I  ask  what  is 
this  apparatus?"  pointing  at  the  complex  system  of 
tubes  and  vessels  which  I  lately  mentioned. 

"That,  Malcolm,  is  a  later  form,  perhaps  im- 
proved, of  apparatus  for  the  preparation  of  the  best 
solution  used  on  our  breath  plates.  Here  is  some  of 
its  product."  Taking  from  a  redwood  cabinet  a 
small  crystal  flask,  he  exhibited  a  fluid  of  blue  color 
that  seemed  to  flash  in  the  light.     "This  is  much 

279 


more  sensitive  to  actinic  effects  than  the  solution 
heretofore  in  use,  while  fresh;  but  for  the  purpose 
of  its  preparation  improves  with  age  if  kept  well 
corked  and  in  the  dark,"  he  said,  replacing  it  in  the 
cabinet  after  my  brief  inspection. 

Mother  Pentersoe  here  arose,  saying :  "Now,  my 
dear  young  friend,  "you  have  launched  my  Lewis 
on  a  favorite  theme;  will  you  excuse  me?  And, 
my  son,  do  not  tire  your  visitor  by  too  much  dis- 
course on  that  topic." 

"I  shall  try  not  to  do  that,  dear  mother." 

*'Ah,  dear  madam,"  I  added  to  the  filial  assur- 
ance, "do  not  be  concerned  for  me.  I  am  at  home 
as  a  listener  to  the  theories  of  these  zealous  students 
of  nature,  and  never  tire  of  hearing  them,  especially 
when  their  investigations  affect  human  nature." 

"You  see,  mother,  our  good  friend  gives  me 
abundant  latitude,  and  you  shall  have  another  turn, 
for  he  will  take  noon  refreshment  with  us." 

"Certainly,  it  must  not  be  otherwise,"  returned 
the  mother,  pleasantly,  as  she  retired  from  the  lab- 
oratory.    I  resumed  the  talk  with : 

"The  little  while  I  have  been  here,  professor — 
that's  the  title  we  should  give  you  up  our  way " 

"I  cannot  doubt  your  sincerity,  Malcolm,"  he  in- 
terrupted quickly  but  gently. 

"I  was  not  thinking  of  compliments,  my  friend 
of  tubes  and  filters,  but  of  the  merit  and  value  of 
such  ability  as  yours  to  the  scientific  world;  and  I 
was  about  to  say  that  mv  inquisitive  eyes  have  seen 

280 


so  many  unusual  things  in  this  laboratory  that  I  am 
almost  prompted  to  ask  you  many  questions  aside 
from  the  main  purpose  of  my  visit." 

"Ask  what  you  please,  Malcolm,  it  will  be  a  pleas- 
ure to  answer,  if  in  my  power." 

"Ah,  Lewis,  the  savant  of  Oudemon,  is  none  the 
less  an  Oudemonite  for  being  a  savant.  Well,  I 
came,  as  you  doubtless  surmise,  intending  to  inquire 
about  the  remedy  you  used  in  Ellice  Denton's  case, 
when  she  was  poisoned  by  the  viper." 

"You  are  right,  Malcolm.  It  is  a  species  of  viper, 
an  echisoid  of  peculiar  venom,  exceeding  the  IMedi- 
terranean  species.  I  obtained  the  specimen  and  made 
an  analysis  of  its  secretion,  and  also  a  culture,  which 
you  may  see  in  the  tube  yonder — Number  6 — a  very 
rare  spirillum,  identical  with  that  shown  by  my  be- 
loved teacher,  Fortil,  who  lies  in  yonder  Silence," 
extending  a  hand  reverently  in  the  direction  of  the 
House  of  Hope.  "Have  you  any  reptiles  like  that 
North?  There  are  your  adder  and  copperhead,  to 
be  sure." 

"And  our  famous  rattlesnake,  and  certain  spiders 
and  insects  that  are  much  feared,"  I  added.  "Of 
such  derivatives  as  you  have  there  in  the  glass  I 
know  very  little,  but  think  that  the  remedy  you 
employ  to  antidote  a  bite  may  be  of  use  to  us." 

"Very  likely,  Malcolm,  and  it  is  probable  that 
your  botanists  know  a  plant  cognate  to  that,  the  re- 
duced sap  of  which  would  be  efficacious.  It  is  the 
ecchofis.     The  best  part  for  the  purpose  is  the  fresh 

2S1 


root.  We  apply  the  remedy  to  the  wound,  and  also 
give  it,  much  diluted,  in  small  doses  internally. 
Allow  me  to  prepare  a  phial  of  the  extract  for  you  ?" 
"Should  be  much  obligated,  Lewis." 
With  a  shake  of  the  large  head  and  its  profusion 
of  light  brown  hair,  he  went  on :  "In  the  Tube  7, 
which  you  may  compare  with  6,"  taking  up  the  two 
tubes  and  holding  them  in  the  light,  "I  have  a  cul- 
ture of  the  echisoid  neutralized  by  ecchofis.  You  no- 
tice in  this  the  intensely  deep  blue  nidus  and  lines  of 
patchy  growth  radiating  upward  through  the  banana 
syrup.  In  this  other  you  see  that  the  nucleus  is  but 
a  transparent  film  and  the  patches  are  scarcely  dis- 
cernible— the  excellent  action  of  the  ecchofis  done  in 
a  few  hours  upon  a  growth  like  this  of  6." 

"Admirable,  my  dear  Pentersoe;  and  these  other 
tubes — do  you  experiment,  for  instance,  with  tu- 
bercle, or  the  germs  of  anthrax  or  yellow  fever — 
great  topics  of  discussion  in  our  bureaus  of  public 
sanitation  at  home?" 

"No,  my  brother  in  pursuit  of  useful  knowledge, 
I  have  no  opportunity  in  that  way.  Archbold,  in- 
deed, brought  me  on  his  late  return  a  crystal  of  sup- 
posed yellow  fever  infection,  but  I  could  make  little 
of  it ;  could  not  obtain  a  distinct  and  altogether  sat- 
isfactory resultant." 

"Did  you  test  them  on  animals  for  effect  ?" 

"No;  certainly  not,"  he  answered  in  an  indignant 
vein,  "we  cannot  subject  our  animal  creatures  to 
any  cruelty  under  pretext  of  experiment  for  the  good 


of  humanity.  And  yet/'  he  continued,  smiHng-,  "we 
have  no  apology  for  it,  because  a  case  of  infective  or 
malignant  disease  is  practically  unknown  among  us 
nowadays.  A  howler  recently  imported  died  over  in 
district  eleven,  and  I  made  an  examination  to  learn 
the  cause.  The  liver  showed  a  state  of  gross  break- 
down, the  tissues  being  generally  marked  with  deep 
ulceration.  Under  the  microscope  there  appeared 
features  similar  in  many  respects  to  the  substance  in 
the  tube  that  Archbold  had  given  me.  I  tried  the 
ecchofis  on  both  the  imported  and  my  liver  prepara- 
tion. The  specimens  are  here,"  taking  two  tubes 
from  the  rack.  "Do  you  perceive  much  difference 
in  the  reactions?" 

I  examined  them  carefully  with  a  magnifier.  A 
similar  distribution  of  pearl-gray  patches  appeared 
in  the  glary  fluid  of  each. 

"No;  I  can  see  no  difference." 

"There  is  very  little  seen  except  with  a  high 
power." 

INSANITY    IN    THE   TEST    TUBE. 

"But  these  other  tubes  placed  by  themselves" — I 
pointed  to  a  group  at  one  end  of  the  rack. 

"Those,  Malcolm,  are  tests  of  disturbed  mental 
states,  obtained  from  the  few  cases  of  insanity  we 
have." 

"Possible !  that  you  find  germs  of  a  specific  nature 
in  insanity !  And  have  you  the  antitoxic  or  antidote 
for  them?" 

283 


Pentersoe  smiled,  and,  with  a  light  laugh,  replied : 
"We  have  no  antitoxic  in  the  sense  you  probably- 
mean,  my  brother.  These  are  abstracts  from 
breath  plates,  treated  as  cultures,  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  distinct  results  that  will  indicate  the  char- 
acter of  the  mind  impairment,  and  enable  us  to  at- 
tempt its  restoration.  Our  insane  cases  are  so  few 
because  of  the  hygiene  of  prevention  operative  in 
our  general  life;  and  these  are  as  a  rule  harmless, 
and,  with  but  a  single  exception — a  very  aged  wom- 
an— of  some  use  where  they  live.  You  notice,  Mal- 
colm, the  different  colors.  Certain  dominating  ele- 
ments in  the  manifestation  of  faculty  are  corre- 
spondent with  them.  Here,  for  instance,  is  a  per- 
son whose  mind  is  affected  by  delusions  of  pride, 
greatness  and  authority.  You  see  blotches  of  deep 
violet.  This  tube  is  from  the  sweat  glands,  and  con- 
firms the  breath  plate,  taken  at  the  same  time,  and 
has  its  reaction  in  the  tube  set  next  to  it.  This 
tube,"  showing  another,  "is  from  the  blood;  the 
color  is  stronger,  but  means  the  same  thing." 
"Then  'blood  will  tell,'  as  we  say,  Lewis?" 
"Without  a  doubt,  when  analyzed  in  the  proper 
manner,  dear  brother.  Among  your  medical  men 
there  are  some  who  appear  to  believe  that  analyses 
of  the  blood  will  show  conditions  of  health  and  dis- 
ease, and  help  to  decide  the  nature  of  one's  sickness. 
In  my  opinion,  they  are  right,  and  before  many 
years  it  will  probably  be  a  common  thing  for  the 
physician  to  examine  his  patient's  blood,  just  as  he 

284 


now  looks  at  temperature  and  pulse.  This  glass 
illustrates  what  your  doctors  call  chronic  melan- 
cholia." 

"What,  my  profound  expert  in  tempers!  You 
don't  mean  that  you  have  such  an  unfortunate 
among  your  people  1" 

"Ah,  Malcolm,  you  are  a  good  discerner  of  spir- 
its," he  said,  smilingly,  and  continued :  "Bross 
Champlin — you  may  know  him " 

"Engineer  and  statistician?    Yes " 


"The  same.  He  was  at  Trinidad  not  long  ago, 
and  saw  the  poor  man,  and  obtained  some  tears, 
which  he  brought  me  as  a  matter  of  curious  in- 
quiry. You  will  note  their  reactions — the  dark 
green  lines  of  suspicion  and  distrust,  and  a  low, 
habitual  cunning  that  might  be  unsafe  to  those 
around  him.  An  interesting  contrast  is  this  one, 
from  our  own  small  supply  of  specimens — a  case  of 
excessive  generosity." 

"Which  I  can  readily  accept,  Lewis.  How  in- 
tense the  yellow !  Looks  as  if  there  were  gold  in  it. 
But  your  people's  prodigality  does  not  scatter  the 
yellow  metal  about  as  our  over-liberal  son  of  For- 
tuna  would ;  they  give  themselves  to  others.  It  is 
a  wonder  that  in  the  way  your  people  live  that  you 
don't  have  a  sort  of  epidemic  or  craze  of  generosity 
most  of  the  time." 

"I  know,  my  dear  IMalcolm,  that  you  can  under- 
stand how  the  universal  interchanges  and  mutual 
nature  of  our  life  operate  as  a  corrective  of  tenden- 

285 


cies  to  excess  in  any  direction.  The  idea  of  duty 
has  its  relation  to  the  habits  of  our  people  and  ex- 
ercises a  good  degree  of  restraint.  Our  children 
grow  up  with  the  principle  ingrained  in  their  con- 
duct that  they  can  expect  from  others  what  they  are 
expected  to  give;  that  is,  in  other  terms,  reciprocity 
of  kindness,  sympathy  and  service  is  the  moral,  or 
better,  the  spiritual  rule  governing  everybody's  in- 
tercourse with  everybody  else.  Resultantly  excess 
of  service  for  another's  benefit  carries  no  credit  or 
approval.  Superfluity  is  unreasonable.  Yes,  I  ap- 
preciate what  you  would  suggest.  We  have  some 
admiration  for  zeal  and  enthusiasm  in  directions 
that  affect  the  general  good,  but  the  teaching  our 
children  get  regarding  their  conduct  toward  each 
other  and  the  normal  action  of  moral  sentiment 
renders  them  quite  early  self-governing  and  tem- 
perate to  a  good  degree  in  the  expression  of  interest 
and  feeling.  Do  you  find  people  disposed  to  annoy 
or  overcrowd  you  with  attentions,  Malcolm?" 

"Now  you  have  asked  the  question,  excellent  and 
studious  brother,  I  will  confess  that  my  opinion  has 
changed  from  what  was  my  first  impression.  When 
I  entered  the  country  two  months  or  so  ago  I  felt  as 
if  overwhelmed  with  kindnesses,  but  now  I  find 
myself  no  longer  *the  lion' — as  we  term  a  man 
among  us  who  is  the  recipient  of  special  and  con- 
stant attentions  from  nearly  everybody — but  the 
subject  of  little  more  than  the  consideration  that  one 
Oudemonite  gives  to  another  as  a  matter  of  course. 
.       286 


I  can  assure  you  that  to  be  treated  on  the  common 
ground  of  equahty  is  quite  gratifying.  It  makes 
me  feel  at  home.  What  have  you  in  those  phials?" 
pointing  to  another  group,  the  contents  of  which 
gleamed  in  the  light. 

"Those  are  recent  products,  Malcolm;  effects  ob- 
tained in  the  treatment  of  blood." 

"Human  blood?" 

Pentersoe  inclined  his  head. 


HOW   BLOOD   WILL   TELL. 

"Now,  excuse  my  curiosity — always  active,  you 
see,  Lewis.     May  I  inquire  their  significance  ?" 

"I  am  not  able  to  answer  fully,  Malcolm,  as  the 
observations  are  new.  Two  or  three  of  us  are  work- 
ing in  this  line,  and  with  encouragement.  Briefly, 
we  think  that,  just  as  the  breath  plate  shows  condi- 
tions of  mind,  the  general  trend  of  sentiment,  etc.,  so 
the  blood  elements  may  exhibit  the  physiologic  basis 
of  the  mental  state.  We  cannot  say  that  there  is  a 
positive  standard  of  blood  perfection,  for  scarcely 
two  specimens  are  precisely  alike  in  color  and  form ; 
indeed,  we  are  satisfied  that  there  are  many  types 
of  normal  blood,  each  fundamental  to  a  normal  type 
of  mental  constitution." 

"Just  as  people  normally  organized  show  a  great 
variety  of  intellectual  and  moral  capacity,"  I  in- 
terposed. 

"Yes,  brother.  Now  it  is  best  to  illustrate  while  I 
287 


talk.  Here  is  one  tube.  You  notice  how  bright  the 
flashing.  Let  us  see  what  the  microscope  will  do 
with  it."  Removing  the  stopper,  a  drop  of  the 
ruddy  fluid  was  carefully  transferred  to  a  slide,  and 
that  placed  under  the  lens.  A  few  turns  of  the 
screw  brought  the  object  into  focus.  "Now  study 
this  for  a  moment,  before  it  changes  in  the  air." 

I  put  my  best  eye  to  the  instrument,  and  saw  a 
beautiful  spectacle — blood  disks  swimming  in  a  clear 
fluid,  apparently  about  the  diameter  of  a  marrow- 
fat pea.  Their  edges  were  distinct  and  regular, 
with  ray-like  filaments  fringing  the  entire  circum- 
ference. The  body  of  the  disks  was  plump  and 
translucent,  exhibiting  two  or  three  nuclear  ele- 
ments of  varied  form ;  while  over  the  surface  of  the 
disk  a  symmetrical  net-like  membrane  appeared  to 
be  spread,  the  meshes  of  which  I  could  almost  count. 
The  uniformity  of  the  structure  and  clear  golden 
color  won  upon  my  gaze,  but  alas !  too  soon  the 
chemistry  of  the  atmosphere  began  its  destructive 
work,  and  the  charming  picture  lost  color  and  form, 
the  markings  disappearing  in  a  blurred  mass. 

"Beautiful !"  I  exclaimed.  "The  most  remarkable 
view  of  blood  elements  that  I  have  ever  seen !" 

"Try  another,  and  see  the  difference."  He  placed 
a  second  slide  under  the  glass — or  rather  crystal,  for 
the  compound  lens  of  Pentersoe's  microscope  was 
of  white  topaz — and  what  a  change!  The  corpus- 
cles were  large,  but  much  less  bright  in  color,  the 
fringed  edges  v.'ere  irregular,  at  parts  twisted  and 

288 


broken.  Dark  spots  appeared  on  the  body  of  the 
disks,  their  network  lacked  the  symmetry  of  the 
first  specimen,  and  the  nuclear  contents  seemed  of 
rough  outline. 

''Here  is  one  more,"  said  this  master  of  tech- 
nique.   "Compare  it  with  the  two  you  have  seen." 

This  slide  at  first  glance  looked  like  the  first  exam- 
ined ;  later  I  noted  differences.  Here  and  there  were 
disks  quite  perfect  in  constitution  and  beautiful  in 
tint;  others  showed  departures  from  symmetry  and 
completeness  of  border  and  content,  and  some  were 
much  like  those  of  the  second  slide.  The  general  ef- 
fect, however,  was  pleasing,  and  offered  a  study 
upon  which  I  could  have  dwelt  for  half  an  hour, 
but  in  three  minutes  the  field  was  but  a  semi-evapo- 
rated splash  of  granular  indistinctness.  Looking  up 
from  the  instrument  with  traces  of  vexation  doubt- 
less on  my  face,  Lewis  said,  deprecatingly : 

"We  must  make  our  observation  quickly,  brother 
Malcolm,  for  as  yet  we  cannot  fix  the  specimens, 
and  then,  any  treatment,  I  think,  would  impair 
them.  The  first  slide  is  blood  of  a  good  average 
quality,  such  as  you  will  find  in  the  veins  of  most  of 
our  grown-up  people.  The  second  is  from  the  arm 
of  a  man  who  not  long  ago  was  unfortunate  in  per- 
mitting certain  elements  in  his  nature  to  become  too 
active,  to  the  disadvantage  of  his  conduct  toward 
others.  In  fine,  he  became  disagreeable  and  selfish 
in  the  discharge  of  certain  duties  that  he  had  under- 
taken for  his  district.    It  was  feared  that  this  brother 

289 


would  become  so  disturbed  mentally  as  to  be  unbal- 
anced. Good  advice  had  its  effect,  and,  being  will- 
ing, he  received  our  experimental  treatment,  also — 
only  experimental.  One  of  your  neighbors,  whose 
blood  is  of  high  quality,  offered  a  sample  of  it  for 
our  use." 

"  'Twas  Ellice,  I  dare  affirm — a  most  harmonious 
nature — and  I  remember  a  remark  of  hers  that  this 
explains." 

The  chemist  smiled  at  my  outbreak :  "Would  you 
like  to  see  the  tube  in  which  her  blood — the  few 
drops  left — is  kept?" 

"Most  certainly.  I  am  feeling  quite  bloodthirsty 
to-day,  you  see,  brother  Lewis." 

"With  my  connivance,  Malcolm,  you  must  al- 
low." 

Taking  a  minute  flask  from  a  recess  in  the  cab- 
inet which  contained  the  ecchofis,  he  showed  me 
what  was  indeed  a  small  sample  of  our  vital  current, 
yet  still  limpid  and  cherry-red. 

"You  may  judge  from  its  character,"  he  re- 
marked, "from  what  you  saw  in  the  tube  yonder; 
only  it  has  a  higher  gleam,  and  the  disks  are  even 
fuller,  more  concave  in  outline,  and  longer  cilia, 
showing  a  great  vital  sympathy." 

"Yes,  the  whole  Denton  family  is  remarkable  for 
freshness  and  capacity  in  a  vital  sense,  my  dear  mas- 
ter of  blood  mixtures ;  such  symmetry  of  form  and 
balance  of  action  are  far  from  common,  even  among 
your  people." 

290 


"Some  must  be  different  from  others,  my  dear 
boy;  it  were  better  for  the  others." 

"The  order  of  a  beneficent  economy — and  she 
gave  her  blood  for  the  regeneration,  so  to  speak,  of 
that  erring  brother?" 

"Yes." 

"It  was  injected  by  syringe?" 

"A  vein  in  the  arm  was  opened  and  a  half  dozen 
drops  introduced  at  a  time,  until  in  the  course  of  a 
month  there  were  five  injections.  The  Tube  3, 
shown  you,  Malcolm,  is  his  blood  after  the  fourth 
injection — a  great  change." 

"Remarkable!  You  people  are  more  sanguinary 
than  I  supposed,  after  all." 

"And  his  character-expression  has  altered  much 
for  the  better,"  continued  this  novel  biologist,  with- 
out regard  to  my  interjection,  aside  from  a  slight 
lifting  of  the  brows." 

"I  have  heard  as  much,  my  dear  blood  reformer; 
and  he  has  quite  won  the  confidence  of  the  people  in 
his  district  again?  Dear  me,  I  wish  that  about  a 
pint  of  that  precious  stuff  were  injected  into  my  sys- 
tem !" 

Lewis  laughed,  and  said  banteringly : 

"Would  it  not  be  well,  Malcolm,  to  try  a  mixture 
of  several  types  for  a  general,  all-round  effect?" 

"Why  not?  A  good  suggestion  for  complete 
manhood  surely.  But  I  am  not  quite  clear  on  the 
rationale  of  this  character-amending  process,  Lewis. 
I   can  understand  how  some  improvement  in  the 

291 


physical  condition  might  result  from  your  injection. 
Accepting  that  the  blood  contains  minute  forms — 
bacilli,  cocci,  or  what  not,  do  you  mean  to  say  that 
among  them  are  elementary  bodies  that  have  a  casual 
function  in  the  play  of  mental  faculty,  giving  to 
character  normal  or  abnormal  coloring?" 

SPIRIT  AND  MATTER  IN  SERUS  COMBINATION. 

"We  are  of  opinion,  my  young  metaphysical  in- 
quisitor, that  the  life  fluids  contains  elements,  both 
psychic  and  physical,  and  that  it  is  just  as  rational 
to  introduce  substance  for  the  correction  of  a  vice  or 
weakness  of  the  mental  nature  into  the  circulation  as 
to  inject  a  solution — a  serum,  as  your  savants  term 
it — to  counteract  a  process  of  disease,  a  poison  or 
a  fever.  With  a  microscope  of  higher  power  than 
that  I  can  show  you  some  of  the  minute  forms  in 
blood,  which,  I  am  convinced,  have  a  decided  rela- 
tion to  our  moral  states,  such  is  their  behavior  in 
certain  mental  affections.  Your  physiologists,  if  I 
have  heard  correctly,  have  among  them  some  who 
declare  that  the  micro-organisms  that  enter  into  our 
structures  are  not  without  special  properties,  even 
peculiar  instinctive  aptitudes.  Nay,  more;  some  as- 
sert that  these  infinitely  small  entities  show  powers 
of  a  psychic  order  and  are  endowed  with  instinct  or 
intelligence  beyond  that  of  exhibiting  only  degrees 
of  cellular  irritability.  I  could  quote  from  authors 
on  that  shelf  to  show  that  these  minute  creatures 

292 


manifest  phases  of  conduct  that  can  be  explained 
by  their  possessing  acute  sensibiHty.  They  show 
choice  in  their  diet  and  associate  relations,  and 
the  phenomena  of  defence  or  self-protection.  One 
of  those  writers,  in  speaking  of  the  wonderful  process 
of  generation,  says  that  the  sperm  cell  is  animated 
by  the  same  sexual  instincts  that  direct  the  parent 
organism  toward  the  male.  If  this  sperm  cell  did 
not  possess  a  psychic  life,  how  could  a  father  trans- 
mit his  form,  features,  disposition,  etc.,  to  his  child? 
asks  another  student  of  biology,  and  so  he  naturally 
infers  that  all  the  attributes  in  man — form,  feature, 
every  faculty — exist  as  latent  potentials  in  the  orig- 
inal germ." 

"Then  may  come  the  application  of  the  principle 
involved  in  this  theory,  which  you,  my  dear  friend, 
have  just  mooted.  If  we  find  by  a  study  of  the  in- 
dividual germ  its  peculiar  habits  and  tendencies, 
may  we  not  also  discover  why  it  has  qualities  that 
may  contribute  to  the  unhappiness  and  evil  of  the 
person  to  whom  it  belongs ;  and,  having  learned  this, 
may  we  not  learn  also  how  to  treat  it,  to  train  and 
modify  its  nature  so  that  from  being  a  means  di- 
rectly or  relatively  of  evil  and  unhappiness,  it  may 
be  potent  for  the  harmony  and  good  of  its  owner? 
Introducing,  then,  the  blood  of  a  person  known  for 
exceptional  harmony  and  beauty  of  life  and  moral 
integrity  into  the  circulation  of  another  whose  hab- 
its and  tendencies  have  peculiarities  that  are  uncer- 
tain and  irregular,  the  germal  source  of  that  otlier's 


character-weakness  is  reached,  and  a  psychic  change 
is  brought  about  to  the  advantage  of  the  individual. 
Is  the  idea  illogical,  my  young  brother?" 

"Wonderful,  indeed,  noble  wielder  of  the  syr- 
inge," I  replied  to  his  enthusiastic  address,  "and 
yet  quite  logical  because  it  is  but  a  higher  extension 
of  the  principle  of  grafting,  applying  what  every- 
body accepts  as  important  in  fruit  culture,  to  human 
culture.  And  why  not  ?  I  most  heartily  wish  that 
that  such  a  method  of  treating  inveterate  dishonesty, 
vice  and  crime  were  known  among  my  people. 
Some  of  our  zealous  scientists  have  urged  what 
seems  to  me  an  extreme  and  most  dangerous  method 
— yet  our  surgeons,  as  you  may  know,  are  capable 
of  doing  things  now  with  success  that  but  a  few 
years  ago  would  have  been  denounced  as  revolting 
butchery  and  necessarily  fatal.  They  appear  to  be- 
lieve that  it  is  quite  possible  to  operate  upon  a  man's 
nervous  system,  and  by  removing  certain  parts  or 
'centers'  effect  a  radical  change  in  the  disposition — 
indeed,  transform  one  of  a  fractious  and  wicked 
nature  to  amicability  and  goodness." 

"We  have  heard  of  that,  Malcolm,  and  do  not 
approve  it  because  such  an  operation  would  deprive 
a  person  of  a  part  of  his  essential  organism,  and  so 
impair  his  functional  integrity." 

"I  think  that  I  understand  you ;  that  a  man  needs 
all  his  nerve  matter  for  the  perfect  expression  of 
himself.  Your  method  is  certainly  better,  and  has 
no  dangerous  features.  As  our  people  are  politically 

294 


and  socially  constituted  it  would  be  a  long  time  be- 
fore its  systematic  application  would  be  permitted, 
however  great  were  the  advantages." 

"I  must  confess,  Malcolm,  that  I  consider  this 
method  largely  experimental  as  yet,  and  only  to  be 
employed  when  other  means,  more  humane  and 
admirable,  fail.  Thus  far  the  instances  of  its  use 
have  been  too  few,  and  it  is  very  likely  that  in  the 
course  of  a  generation  our  national  advance  in 
spiritual  energy  will  be  beyond  any  pretext  for  such 
quasi  surgery  of  the  mind." 

"Most  scrupulous  experimenter.  There  is  noth- 
ing like  good  blood  for  both  body  and  soul,  and 
this  proposition  certainly  has  an  admirable  example 
in  our  young  friend,  Ellice  Denton.  Changing  the 
tenor  of  our  conversation  somewhat,  it  seems  re- 
markable to  one  with  my  Northern  impressions 
that  the  domestic  future  of  that  excellent  girl  had 
not  been  settled  long  before  this.  She  must  have 
admirers  among  the  young  men." 

"She  has,  Malcolm,  and  more  than  one  quite 
suitable,  I  think,  to  her.  Percy  and  I  are  close 
friends — hence  the  affairs  in  that  charming  home 
are  somewhat  known  to  me.  There's  young  Lomas 
Dexter,  a  fine  fellow,  who  would  give  his  life  for 
her,  if  necessary;  but  so  far  as  I  can  tell  Ellice  is 
not  ready  to  surrender  her  maidenhood,  and  her 
parents  do  not  urge  it." 

"This  Lomas  I  do  not  remember  having  seen,  al- 
though Stella  Bruce  has  mentioned  him." 

"Dexter  lives  in  an  eastside  district,  thirty- four; 


is  of  a  studious,  reserved  nature;  something  of  an 
archseologist,  and  knows  a  deal  about  trees;  but  a 
fine  fellow  indeed.  Ellice  really  likes  him,  Willis 
says,  yet  I  am  thinking  the  young  man  does  not 
push  matters,  for  he  is  as  sensitive  as  a  girl  in  this 
regard.  As  for  Ellice  I  am  sure  that  the  lucky 
fellow  who  secures  her  will  have  a  willing  partner 
of  his  joys  and  sorrows." 

"Presto,  Lewis,  do  you  venture  to  hint  at  a  shady 
side  in  your  Oudemon  life?  Are  you  going  to  sug- 
gest at  this  late  hour  in  my  happy  experience  of  its 
course  anything  savoring  of  disenchantment  or  de- 
lusion?" 

"Ah,  my  ironical  brother,  to  all  things  human, 
whatever  the  estate,  there  come  occasions  of  sadness 
and  regret.  We  are  not  free  from  them,  yet  such 
is  the  prevailing  cheer  and  sympathy  and  love 
among  us,  in  the  sorrows  that  must  come  there  is 
a  flavor  of  joy." 

"Which  makes  them  sweeter  to  the  uplifted  soul 
than  even  its  unalloyed  joys;"  I  felt  impelled  to 
add,  and  rising :  "I  have  occupied  you,  my  excellent 
Lewis,  far  too  long,  and  should " 

"No,  Malcolm ;  do  not,  I  pray  you,  think  that  you 
have  intruded  upon  me — now  you  are  not  going, 
for  it  was  understood  that  we  were  to  have  you  for 
dinner " 

"Of  course,"  said  mother  Pentersoe,  entering  the 
laboratory,  "our  young  friend  joins  our  little  table 
company — we  cannot  permit  him  to  run  away  now, 
when  everything  is  quite  ready." 

296 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

AIR    SWIMMING   AND    SCIENCE. 

The  hot  prelude  to  the  rainy  season  had  come, 
and  there  was  little  comfort  in  traveling  when  the 
sun  was  high,  so  that  I  was  abroad  either  in  the 
early  or  late  hours  of  the  day.  Ellice  had  gone  to 
visit  friends  in  a  distant  quarter,  and  also  to  attend 
a  conference  of  teachers,  and  would  be  absent  sev- 
eral days.  I  was  not  averse  to  this,  of  course,  for 
in  my  state  of  mind  it  was  better  not  to  have  much 
to  do  with  her.  If  Stella  had  astonished  me  by  her 
accurate  insight  the  evening  after  my  interview  with 
her  beloved  friend  and  teacher,  she  still  more  sur- 
prised me  by  the  gentleness  of  her  treatment  later. 
Not  yet  mature  in  years,  nevertheless  in  this  affair 
of  the  heart  I  found  her  an  excellent  counselor,  and 
was  convinced  that  no  better  go-between  could  be 
found  to  establish  what  diplomats  term  a  modus 
vivendi  between  Ellice  and  myself,  if  a  mutual 
friend  were  at  all  needed.  The  young  girl  archly 
said :  "Indeed,  cousin  Malcolm,  I  thought  you  two 
were  made  for  each  other,  and  it  would  be  a  good 
thing  to  have  you  marry  and  stay  among  us,  and 
you  must  forgive  me  if  I  have  done  or  said  anything 
that  helped  to  make  you  think  more  of  each  other 

297 


than  was  just  right,  considering  that  you  had  only 
come  here  to  visit  us."  Unconsciously  the  girl  had 
been  playing  in  a  small  way  the  part  of  a  match- 
maker, and  with  the  best  intentions  for  all  con- 
cerned. As  for  Ellice,  could  I  think  reasonably 
that  with  her  age  and  experience  she  had  been  over 
influenced  by  her  effusive  pupil? 

"To-morrow  as  early  as  convenient,  dear  folks, 
will  take  place  our  quarterly  ascension  for  the  pur- 
pose of  high  observations,"  remarked  Bruce  the 
elder.  We  were  at  the  supper  table.  Looking  with 
inquiry  in  my  eye,  while  I  balanced  a  nut  biscuit  on 
my  forefinger,  to  the  amusement  of  Stella,  I  re- 
sponded : 

"Eh,  father  Bruce;  seems  that  I  noticed  a  para- 
graph in  your  Bulletin  to  some  such  effect — what 
is  it?" 

**We  have,  Malcolm,  a  periodical  ascension,  at 
different  stations,  for  purposes  of  science  and  ex- 
pediency. If  you  will  go,  I  think  you  wall  be  in- 
terested. As  the  station  this  time  is  in  district 
thirteen,  adjoining  ours,  several  of  our  men  take 
part.  The  tower  is  only  an  hour's  easy  ride.  Usu- 
ally a  dozen  or  so  go  up ;  experts  in  using  the  aerolat. 
The  height  to  wdiich  they  attain  and  the  evolutions 
are  quite  exciting — while  there  is  really  less  danger 
to  the  participants  than  some  of  your  Northern 
games,  if  we  may  believe  reports." 

"You  can,  friend  Jasper;  for  in  the  intensity  of 
their  excitement  our  athletes  go  to  extremes  of  ex- 

298 


ertion  and  contest  that  not  unfrequently  result  in 
fatal  injury." 

"Oh,  it  is  such  fun,  cousin,  to  see  them  race  in 
the  air,"  exclaimed  Stella.  "Last  year  I  went  with 
father  and  Willis  to  district  sixteen,  and  two  of 
the  men  had  a  flying  match,  and  one  made  a  miss 
stroke  and  tumbled  heels  overhead  in  the  air. 
'Twas  the  funniest  thing— such  a  sprawling  about 
before  he  could  get  going  again."  The  girl  laughed 
in  such  glee  that  we  all  joined  her. 

"I  can  well  imagine,  ma  petite,  how  the  man  buz- 
zard looked  struggling  to  recover  right  side  up  and 
nothing  to  stand  upon.  Of  course  I  shall  go.  But 
how  about  flying  in  the  air  myself?  May  I  not  put 
on  the  dress  and  climb  to  the  tower  platform,  and 
prospect  the  country  with  one  of  your  excellent 
glasses  ?" 

"Certainly,  Malcolm,  you  may  do  as  much  as 
that,  while  it  would  not  be  wise  to  imitate  the  evolu- 
tions of  Julius,  who  will  be  one  of  the  observers,  I 
presume." 

"Julius,  the  good  fellow?  I  shall  be  very  glad 
to  see  him,  and  you  may  rest  easy,  my  dear  Bruce. 
I  shall  take  no  risks.  No  more  falls  for  me.  That 
one  in  the  mine  pit  suffices  for  the  year." 

"You  can  use  my  aerolat,  dear  Malcolm,"  offered 
Willis. 

"No,  good  son,  the  boy  has  the  freedom  of  mine, 
you  know,"  rejoined  his  father.  "Try  your  hand 
at  the  paddle  to-day  if  you  care." 

299 


"Thank  you,  ever  kind  father  mine.  I  shall  see 
you  safely  to  the  tower  top,  Malcolm." 

"By  the  way,  good  folks,  don't  the  ladies  of  your 
realm  sport  the  aerostatic  costume?" 

"There,  my  father  Bruce,"  broke  in  Stella,  "I 
do  wish  you  would  let  me  try  it  some  time." 

"Yes,  my  daughter,  you  may.  Very  few  of  our 
women,  Malcolm,  seem  inclined  to  practice  the  art 
of  air  navigation,  although  in  most  of  our  games, 
as  you  have  doubtless  seen,  they  take  part " 

"With  even  more  zest  than  their  brothers,  you 
might  say,  father,"  added  Willis  with  a  light  laugh. 

"Well,  I  can  swim  almost  as  good  as  you,  brother 
mine — now,  can  I  not?" 

"Yes,  little  sister,  I  admit  it.  You  would  make 
a  first-class  mermaid." 

"At  about  five  we  shall  start,  just  after  sunrise, 
my  Milline,"  said  Jasper. 

"That  means  an  early  breakfast,  my  good  boy. 
You  must  be  down  promptly,  for  these  dear  men 
will  live  and  work  by  the  sun  to-morrow." 

"Then  I  will  sleep  by  the  moon  to-night,  so  as 
to  be  ahead  of  his  sunship,"  was  my  rather  opaque 
return,  as  we  rose  from  the  table. 

Just  as  the  daygod  peeped  over  the  eastern  hills 
next  morning  three  goalones  left  the  Bruce  home- 
stead and  proceeded  rapidly  northward.  Stella 
rode  with  me,  guiding  my  vehicle  with  her  expert 
hand.  The  improvement  added  by  Morgan,  an 
accelerating  disk  with  sprocket  teeth  adjusted  to  the 

300 


gear,  delighted  the  girl,  because  of  the  ease  with 
which  we  could  run  by  the  goalone  of  Willis,  in  the 
little  brushes  of  speed  that  were  now  and  then 
tried  to  spice  our  trip.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
tower  station  we  found  upward  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  people  already  assembled,  and  most  of  the 
aeronauts  for  the  occasion  had  donned  the  float- 
ing dress.  I  noticed  that  some  of  these  had  more 
voluminous  upper  sleeves  than  others,  and  inferred 
that  they  intended  to  rise  to  higher  points.  They 
carried  instruments  slung  to  belt  or  shoulder-strap, 
and  a  double-bladed  paddle  of  very  light  wood 
about  five  feet  long  and  ten  inches  wide  at  the 
tapering  ends.  Their  costume  had  been  inflated 
to  the  degree  that  enabled  them  to  skim  along  the 
ground  easily.  Each  man  thus  prepared,  tried  his 
wings,  so  to  speak,  by  deploying  the  paddle  as  a 
skilful  boatman  would  to  maneuver  a  boat  accord- 
ing to  his  wishes.  It  was  a  thrilling  sight.  These 
men  propelled  themselves  with  such  ease  and  cer- 
tainty up  and  down,  side-wise  and  backward,  now 
darting  forward  bird-like,  and  then  pausing  in  mid- 
air suddenly  to  shoot  downward  thirty  or  forty  feet. 
Julius,  my  conductor  on  the  confines  of  Oudemon, 
was  among  them  and  most  admired  for  his  expert- 
ness.  Meanwhile  Willis  and  I  assumed  our  aero- 
lats  for  the  minor  purposes  we  entertained,  and 
after  the  observing  party  had  ascended  to  their  high 
stations  we  amateurs  scaled  the  wall  of  the  tower 
and  settled  upon  its  airy  platform.     There  I  could 

301 


watch  the  operations  of  the  observers  with  easy 
convenience.  They  made  their  observations  at  dif- 
ferent heights  as  intimated,  the  lowest  according 
to  his  barometeric  record  being  up  seven  hundred 
and  fifty-eight  feet,  the  highest  two  thousand  two 
hundred  and  sixty-three  feet.  Note  was  taken  of 
temperature,  humidity,  gaseous  condition  of  the  air, 
electric  conduction,  current  movements,  and  cer- 
tain states  of  what  they  termed  the  "vitality  of  the 
atmosphere."  As  instrument  after  instrument  was 
used  it  was  lowered  to  the  ground  by  a  thread. 
These  being  self -registering,  assistants  below  care- 
fully noted  the  readings  in  books  kept  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  series  of  investigations  occupied  an  hour 
and  a  quarter. 

The  tower  Willis  and  I  had  ascended  was  one  of 
the  tallest  known,  being  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
in  elevation,  affording  an  excellent  point  of  view  for 
a  wide  area.  In  the  early  morning  the  scene  offered 
to  my  gaze  was  surpassingly  beautiful.  I  could 
not  refrain  from  exclaiming  as  my  eyes  swept  over 
the  landscape :  "Oh,  Willis,  how  much  you  have 
to  be  grateful  for  in  this  glorious  country  all  your 
own !" 

The  young  man,  deeply  affected,  responded 
warmly : 

"Yes,  my  brother,  it  is  indeed  glorious.  You 
can  no  longer  wonder  that  we  love  our  home,  and 
care  not  to  leave  it." 

"No,  surely ;  were  my  best  friends,  mother,  sisters 
302 


— all  here,  I  could  stay  in  it  too,  most  contentedly, 
for  the  remainder  of  my  days." 

This  ecstasy  of  emotion  over  I  addressed  my- 
self to  the  maneuvers  of  the  air  students,  and  at  in- 
tervals examining  the  country  so  much  in  view  on 
all  sides  through  the  excellent  field  glass  loaned  me 
for  the  occasion.  Object  after  object  in  that  clear 
morning  appeared  in  charming  detail  to  my  de- 
lighted eyes,  and  familiar  as  I  had  become  with 
the  general  character  of  the  scenery  the  play  of  color 
in  the  early  sunlight  imparted  a  variety  of  charm 
that  seemed  quite  new.  That  was  a  wonderful 
little  glass  which  aided  my  vision  in  this  semi-scien- 
tific pastime,  made  by  a  local  optician  from  crystal 
so  clear  that  no  imported  lens  I  had  seen  at  home 
could  match  it  for  transparency  and  definition. 

AN    ARCTIC    VISITANT. 

"They  are  coming  down,  Malcolm,"  said  Willis, 
who  had  been  experimenting  in  evolutions  most  of 
the  time;  "let  us  join  them  below." 

I  had  just  caught  sight  of  a  strange  object  in  the 
far  northeast  and  was  straining  my  eyes  to  make  it 
out.  Apparently  just  above  the  trees,  like  a  flattened 
bag  or  pillow  in  shape,  at  once  brightly  reflecting  the 
sunbeams,  then  dull  and  dark,  it  seemed  to  sway 
and  float  in  and  out  of  sight.  The  thing,  what- 
ever it  was,  piqued  my  curiosity,  and  after  a  long, 
earnest  look,  and  trying  to  fix  the  direction  in  mind, 
I   replied  to  Willis:   "I  am  ready;   let  us   drop." 

303 


Opening  the  valve  of  my  aerolat  he  permitted  a  part 
of  the  gas  to  escape  and  then  did  the  same  to  his 
own  equipment.  In  two  minutes  we  had  sunk  down 
to  the  ground. 

One  of  the  air  navigators,  yet  in  his  floating 
costume,  who  stood  near  the  spot  where  I  had 
settled,  remarked  banteringly:  "Did  you  find  any- 
thing worth  looking  at,  stranger  friend,  from  that 
little  height?" 

"Your  query,  my  good  fellow,  is  quite  oppor- 
tune," I  answered.  "Yes,  I  saw  many  things  worth 
dwelling  on;  could  remain  up  there  all  day." 

"If  you  should  try  it,  oh  venturous  youth,"  he 
rejoined  in  the  same  light  vein,  "I  fear  that  we 
should  find  only  a  trace  of  you  in  a  few  oil-soaked 
rags  at  night,  for  the  temperature  at  fourteen  to- 
day on  that  stone  coping  will  probably  reach  146 
Fahrenheit." 

"Then,  my  dear  son  of  the  ether,  as  I  do  not 
care  to  be  sublimed  to  a  spot  of  hydro-carbon  so 
early  in  my  career,  I  shall  not  go  up  again  just  now. 
But  I  saw  something  a  little  before  I  tumbled  down 
that  looked  very  queer;  could  not  at  all  make  it 
out.  Have  you  time — a  minute  or  so,  to  see  if  I 
have  blundered — glimpsed  a  commonplace  thing 
and  magnified  it  in  imagination  to  an  object  of  im- 
portance?" 

"Where?  I  do  not  mind  trying  to  clear  up  your 
little  mystery,"  he  replied,  laughing. 

Handing  him  my  glass,  I  said :  "Use  this  and  you 
304 


may  find  my  puzzle.  Yours  might  not  catch  It. 
Look  in  that  direction  when  you  get  up  to  the  height 
of  the  tower" — indicating  the  point  of  the  horizon 
by  my  hand. 

While  we  were  talking  a  little  group  had  gathered 
around  us,  and  looked  on  good-naturedly  while 
my  sky-scaling  friend  examined  his  equipment, 
took  up  his  paddle,  and  began  a  second  ascent. 
Arriving  at  the  summit  of  the  tower  he  steadied 
himself  with  one  hand  and  had  scarcely  begun  to 
scan  the  northward  horizon  w^hen  an  exclamation 
escaped  his  lips,  faintly  heard  by  us  who  were 
watching  below.  A  further  examination  with  the 
glass  followed — then  letting  go  his  hold  of  the 
tower  wall,  a  few  sweeps  of  the  paddle  brought  him 
to  the  ground  by  us. 

"You  are  right  enough,  Malcolm.  The  thing 
is  evidently  much  nearer  and  lower;  is  of  great 
size — like  a  balloon  partly  collapsed.  Some  more, 
gas,  friends.     Let  me  try  to  secure  it." 

A  few  gallons  of  gas  added  greatly  to  his  buoy- 
ancy, and  in  another  minute  he  was  up  and  away, 
the  long,  even  strokes  of  the  paddle  sending  him 
swiftly  onward. 

"Carefully,  good  Royton,"  was  shouted  after 
him  by  Willis,  who  turned  to  me  and  said :  "There 
must  be  high  enjoyment  in  such  perfect  manage- 
ment, Malcolm — almost  a  bird!" 

"Yes,  cousin,  I  have  often  admired  our  trained 
acrobats  at  home,  leaping  from  flying  trapezes  over 

305 


wide  spaces  with  great  certainty  of  eye  and  hand; 
but  Royton's  mid-air  act  now  in  performance  is 
far  ahead.  With  what  ease  he  cleaves  his  way, 
every  stroke  placing  him  twenty  feet  farther  on." 

The  movement  of  the  air-swimmer,  or  rather 
boatman,  was  indeed  a  pretty  sight,  so  graceful 
and  smooth  in  every  respect.  There  was  the  buoy- 
ancy of  the  cork  upon  water,  but  no  sudden  or  un- 
certain jerks  and  wobblings,  for  intelligence  and 
skill  and  self-confidence  controlled  every  maneuver. 
Higher  and  farther  he  swept  until  the  tall  trees  in- 
terposed, and  we  could  no  longer  see  him.  Fifteen 
minutes  had  passed  since  the  disappearance  of  the 
aeronaut,  and  I  had  begun  to  entertain  some  doubt 
as  to  the  wisdom  of  my  part  in  this  venture  of  the 
young  fellow,  when  a  shrill  whistle  was  faintly 
heard  by  the  group  waiting  in  the  shade  of  the 
tower.  This  signal  was  followed  by  a  prolonged 
horn-like  call.  Several  of  the  men  answered  in  a 
similar  manner,  and  taking  goalones  we  all  set  out 
in  the  direction  from  which  the  signals  had  come. 

"Evidently  he  has  found  something,  and  it  is  too 
much  for  him  to  manage  alone,"  cried  one  of  the 
company. 

"I  hope  that  the  brave  fellow  has  met  no  mishap," 
I  ventured. 

"No  fear  of  that,  Malcolm ;  his  signals  mean  suc- 
cess, whatever  he  has  discovered." 

As  we  went  on  the  exchange  of  calls  was  kept  up, 
until  we  came  to  an  opening  in  a  bit  of  forest  fully 

306 


three  miles  from  the  tower,  where  Royton  was 
espied  standing  by  a  formless  mass  of  something 
that  lay  stretched  upon  the  grass  and  low  bushes. 
He  had  removed  his  aerolat,  and  was  awaiting  our 
approach. 

"Malcolm  is  right,"  he  said ;  "it  is  a  great  balloon ; 
we  have  never  seen  anything  like  it." 

Falling  to  work  we  spread  to  its  full  extent  the 
mass  of  varnished  cloth,  and  estimated  that  it  cov- 
ered the  immense  area  of  fully  25,000  square  feet. 
Torn  in  several  places  and  evidencing  a  severe  and 
prolonged  exposure  to  the  elements,  its  construc- 
tion being  by  compartments  had  served  neverthe- 
less to  maintain  its  buoyancy  in  the  air.  No  part 
of  the  car  or  basket  remained,  only  a  few  shreds 
of  cordage  clinging  to  the  much  twisted  and  broken 
network  that  still  enveloped  most  of  the  great  bag. 
Later,  in  a  fold  of  the  cloth  a  fine  aneroid  barometer 
of  Paris  make  was  discovered  and,  tied  up  with  it, 
strips  of  water-proof  paper,  on  which  were  notes  in  a 
language  unknown  to  the  Oudemonians.  The  bar- 
ometrical reading  indicated  that  the  airship  had 
attained  an  extreme  altitude  of  11.7  kilos.  The 
records  on  the  paper  were  in  pencil  written  in  a 
cramped  han-d.  A  brief  glance  at  these  when  on 
the  ground  where  the  balloon  lay  suggested  that 
the  language  was  Swedish,  of  which  I  had  a  light  ■ 
smattering,  having  in  my  youth  obtained  some 
knowledge  of  it  from  a  Scandinavian  servant  who 
lived  in  our  house  several  years.     By  common  con- 

307 


sent  the  barometer  and  notes  were  handed  to  me  as 
by  right  of  first  discovery,  but  I  said :  "No,  my 
kind  friends,  the  barometer  should  belong  to  you  or 
to  the  Institute  of  Science.  Permit  me  to  take 
the  notes,  and  try  to  make  something  out  of  them, 
if  ever  so  little." 

A  later  inspection  of  the  find  disclosed  marks 
upon  the  fabric  that  proved  it  to  have  been  made  in 
Christiania,  while  the  cloth  bore  the  trademark  of  a 
Holland  company. 

With  some  expressions  of  compassion  for  the 
unlucky  adventurer  who  had  proudly  sailed  into  the 
ocean  of  air  on  his  scientific  mission  my  compan- 
ions rolled  up  the  vast  tissue  and  stowed  it  con- 
veniently for  future  transportation  to  the  Institute. 
Royton  observed :  "How  many  bright  and  noble  fel- 
lows have  rushed  to  death  almost  madly  in  their 
seeming  devotion  to  science.  Yet  I  can  understand 
their  motives." 

"Yes,  Royton,  you  of  all  of  us,"  rejoined  Willis, 
"can  appreciate  their  spirit,  for  you  have  so  much 
zeal  for  the  discovery  of  things  new  and  strange. 
If  it  were  not  for  the  deep,  strong  bonds  of  family 
love  and  race  sympathy,  that  you  acknowledge  and 
respect  as  much  as  any  of  us,  you  would,  it  is  likely, 
have  broken  away  long  ago  and  flown  beyond  our 
borders." 

"You  are  right,  my  dear  Bruce;  when  I  was 
younger  there  came  now  and  then  enticing  visions 
of  life  and  scenes  bevond  our  boundaries  that  were 

308 


almost  overpowering,  but  as  I  grew  older  reason 
and  judgment  showed  me  the  illimitable  right  here, 
and  I  believe,  should  I  live  a  thousand  years,  I 
would  not  accomplish  half  the  delightful  work  that 
lies  close  at  hand." 

"We  may  suppose,  though,  good  Roy  ton,"  I  in- 
truded, "that  if  you  were  to  undertake  to  reach  the 
North  pole,  or  its  antipode  as  mysterious,  you  would 
do  it.  Really,  no  irony  is  meant,  friends ;  you  have 
mechanical  facilities  that  are  not  known  to  the  ad- 
vanced learning  of  the  great  outer  world." 

"Ah,  Royton,"  said  Julius,  who  had  accompanied 
us  to  the  scene  of  our  finding,  "others  here  would 
not  hesitate  to  scale  the  highest  mountain  peak 
known  to  geography,  if  there  were  any  good  to 
come  out  of  it  for  our  fellow  men." 

"I  know,  Julius,  that  you  would  be  a  ready  volun- 
teer on  such  an  excursion,"  said  Royton,  smiling, 
"if  only  to  see  what  new  evolutions  you  might  at- 
tempt in  the  upper  sky  fields.  As  for  the  North 
pole  or  the  South,  let  me  venture  in  reply  to  our 
quick-eyed  visitor  that  I  might  make  the  journey 
into  those  icy  regions  even  to  show  how  it  could  or 
ought  to  be  done.  The  balloon  idea  is  not  a  bad 
one,  but  balloons  as  made  up  North  are  perilous 
carriages.  Our  floatation  apparatus  is  vastly  bet- 
ter, and  then  there  is  a  safety  about  it  when  you 
understand  the  method  of  propulsion.  With  a  fa- 
vorable wind  we  can  cover  five  hundred  miles  easily 
in  fifteen  hours." 

309 


"Then  you  could  certainly  reach  the  pole,  you 
air  swimmers,"  was  my  comment,  "for  our  Arctic 
explorers  have  approached  within  two  hundred 
miles  of  it  by  their  laborious  and  slow  mode  of 
travel.  It  would  not  be  necessary  for  you  to  spend 
weeks  and  months  in  overland  and  ice  journeys. 
Having  reached  a  convenient  station,  by  ship,  say, 
you  could  make  air  flights  and  go  and  return  at 
will.  Before  I  leave  your  delightful  country  will 
you  not  instruct  me  in  the  composition  of  the  gas 
you  employ  for  so  many  purposes.  There  may 
be  stores  of  the  basic  elements  in  chambers  under- 
ground in  the  country  where  I  live." 

"Certainly  we  shall  be  glad,  Malcolm,  to  fur- 
nish all  the  information  we  have,"  replied  Royton 
with  hearty  emphasis.  "If  there  is  a  volcanic  belt 
in  any  section  of  your  country, — indeed  I  know 
that  there  is  in  the  great  regions  of  your  Missouri 
river — you  will  probably  find  by  prospecting  or 
borings  a  source  of  it.  In  our  country  we  have 
no  eruptions  or  severe  ground  shocks  now,  and 
think  that  it  is  because  of  the  vent  given  to  the 
natural  gas  magazines  by  our  numerous  excava- 
tions." 

In  the  quiet  of  my  room  I  puzzled  over  the  notes 
of  the  unfortunate  explorer.  Here  and  there  I 
made  out  a  word,  which  translated  into  English  con- 
veyed the  intimation  of  certain  unhappy  experiences 
in  the  Arctic  circle.  The  cramped  writing  seemed 
that  of  frozen  fingers  or  of  nerves  benumbed  by  ex- 

310 


haustion.  Finally  giving  up  the  attempt  to  inter- 
pret the  scrawls  with  anything  like  fullness,  I  handed 
them  over  to  Pentersoe,  as  secretary  to  the  Institute 
of  Oudemon  Science,  with  this  disjointed  transla- 
tion: 

Latitude  86.7 — hazy — sun  gone — weeks.  48 
(probably  temperature  below  freezing  point.  Cen- 
tigrade). Earth  touched — drop  (ballast?)  great 
land. — 

Ericssen,    no — supplies — life. 

Wonderful     electrical — currents     south — broken 

Lat   87 — ice — ship   abandoned. 

Hope — balloon   return — 

Grinnell   land? 

Discovery — never —  And  Tr — 

Thus  it  appeared  that  another  poor  fellow  had 
heroically  struggled  to  add  to  the  sum  of  knowl- 
edge concerning  the  far  north,  nearly  reached  the 
object  of  his  ambition,  and  failed,  leaving  his  costly 
air  carriage  to  drift  and  drift  in  the  wide  spaces  of 
ether  until,  a  mere  wreck  of  its  early  magnificence, 
it  fell  thousands  of  miles  away  from  the  point  of 
departure,  and  among  a  people  its  unfortunate  pilot 
had  never  dreamed  of. 


311 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

BANANA    GARDENS    AND    A    MISSION. 

"I  THINK  of  rolling  over  to  district  thirty-four 
to-morrow,  Ellice,  to  see  the  famous  banana  gardens 
they  have." 

"Then,  cousin  Malcolm," — since  our  interview 
on  the  birds'  island  I  had  become  a  new  relation 
to  the  girl — "you  will,  of  course,  visit  the  Lomas 

home,  for  their  bananas  are  among  the  best " 

"And  see  Dexter,"  I  rejoined,  looking  straight 
at  her.     The  color  warmed  in  her  face. 

"Yes,  you  will  like  him,  I  know.  He  is  so 
gentle,  and  then  he  is  well  acquainted  wuth  our 
trees,  and  has  studied  the  geology  of  the  country 
with  great  care." 

"What  shall  I  carry  to  him  from  you,  my  dear 
cousin?  I  want  a  special  message  for  the  good 
fellow." 

"Oh,  Malcolm,  some  one  has  been  telling  you — 
Percy,  now,"  exclaimed  the  ingenuous  girl. 

"No,  Percy  has  had  nothing  to  say;  but  never 
mind.  I  won't  ask  you  to  explain.  I  shall  only 
consider  myself  the  bearer  of  your  kindest  re- 
gards, eh?" 

To  this  Ellice  made  no  return,  only  the  pink 
deepened  on  her  cheek  and  her  eyes  sank.  Whether 

312 


it  was  my  audacious  manner  that  affected  her  or 
a  reviving  tenderness  toward  the  young  naturaHst 
I  did  not  venture  to  determine,  although  the  main 
purpose  of  the  visit  in  district  thirty-four  was  to 
see  Dexter  and  have  a  talk  with  him  in  re  Ellice. 

An  invitation  had  been  given  me  some  weeks 
before  by  Gilbert  Lomas,  the  father  of  Dexter, 
to  look  over  his  plantation  and  spend  a  little  time 
with  his  family,  which  was  reported  to  have  char- 
acteristics of  special  interest  in  its  makeup.  Abun- 
dant reason,  therefore,  existed  for  the  excursion  to 
district  thirty- four ;  but  as  one's  reasons  were  rarely 
asked  in  Oudemon  for  any  purposed  action,  my 
announcement  to  Ellice  was  received  without  any 
direct  question.  I  hinted  somewhat  delicately  that 
her  company  would  be  agreeable  on  the  fifty-five 
mile  run.  She,  however,  made  no  reply,  other 
than  the  wish  that  the  ride  and  visit  would  be 
enjoyed  every  way,  and  that  I  should  report  on  my 
return  what  I  had  seen. 

On  some  other  page  it  may  have  been  noted  that 
the  people  of  a  district  had  grown  into  the  habit 
of  cultivating  some  fruit  or  vegetable  as  a  specialty, 
either  after  finding  that  the  soil  was  peculiarly 
adapted  to  its  production  naturally,  or  because  of  a 
selective  method  of  tillage.  Hence  it  was  that  the 
tables  of  Oudemon  households  were  furnished  with 
garden  and  field  products  the  perfection  of  which  in 
color,  form  and  quality  was  new  to  my  experience. 
Familiar  enough  with  the  best  examples  of  West 

313 


Indian  bananas,  the  specimens  that  tempted  my 
palate  here  apeared  to  be  of  a  rare  type.  In  Lomas' 
garden  both  banana  and  plaintain  trees  were  to  be 
seen  rising  upward  of  forty  feet  in  height,  their 
great  leaves  arching  gracefully  in  a  radius  of  eight 
or  more  feet. 

On  the  same  tree  were  flowers  and  fruit  in  all 
stages  of  development — great  spikes  of  purple 
blossom  and  tuber  clusters  in  rich  yellow  or  brown, 
the  latter  of  such  size  that  I  hesitated  to  stand 
near  the  tree  lest  a  sudden  fall  might  overwhelm 
me  with  a  mass  of  fragrant  pulp.  One  variety  of 
the  plantain  was  cultivated  by  Lomas  on  account 
of  the  fine  fibre  obtained  from  its  leaf.  After 
dressing  this  fibre  had  much  of  the  delicacy  of 
French  silk,  but  was  longer  and  woven  into  fabrics 
highly  esteemed  by  the  women  for  outside  wear. 
The  undyed  tissue  was  light  and  very  tough  and 
of  a  soft  yellow  sheen  that  had  the  property  of 
reflecting  the  warmer  rays  of  the  sun,  thus  fitting 
it  for  summer  dress.  The  quantity  of  fibre  ob- 
tained from  one  leaf  was  so  considerable  that  at 
least  three  skirts  of  the  size  worn  by  our  Northern 
ladies  could  be  made  from  the  finished  cloth.  Held 
up  to  the  light  this  fabric  appeared  quite  translu- 
cent, yet  water  would  not  escape  through  its  mesh, 
and  it  was  as  complete  covering  as  a  garment. 
Mother  Bruce  presented  me  with  a  shirt  fashioned 
from  this  cloth  by  her  expert  fingers,  and  I  was  de- 
cidedly proud  of  it  and  enjoyed  the  comfort  it 
afforded  on  my  outings  in  the  summer  sun. 

314 


It  was  a  large  and  lively  company  that  sur- 
rounded me  in  the  Lomas  house.  I  remember  a 
certain  family  residing  in  the  suburbs  of  New  York 
city  that  required  a  table  ample  enough  to  seat 
twenty  persons.  The  head  of  that  house  was  a 
notable  banker,  who  did  not  wish  any  of  his  chil- 
dren to  leave  him,  and  after  the  marriage  of  a 
son  or  daughter  insisted  upon  their  living  in  the 
old  mansion,  or  an  annex  of  it,  and  eating  at  his 
table.  A  happier  man  than  he  when  seated  over 
the  roast  and  distributing  liberal  cuts  to  the  many 
members  of  his  household  and  the  guests  who 
might  be  present  could  scarcely  be  found.  So  with 
Lomas.  Three  married  sons  and  two  married 
daughters,  with  their  children,  a  son  unmarried, 
Dexter,  and  other  relations,  besides  the  assistants, 
male  and  female,  of  house  and  farm,  twenty-four  in 
all  made  up  the  goodly  company  met  in  the  large 
saloon  that  served  for  the  general  uses  of  the  fam- 
ily. Lomas  himself  was  a  sort  of  Creole.  His 
mother,  English  by  descent,  had  married  a  reputed 
Spaniard  in  the  early  days  of  the  colony.  But  a 
few  years  of  wifehood,  then  the  husband  died, 
leaving  her  with  one  child  only,  who  grew  to  vig- 
orous and  splendid  manhood,  and  now,  at  nearly 
eighty  years  of  age,  was  one  of  the  handsomest 
men  I  had  ever  seen.  His  complexion  retained 
the  rich  olive  tint  that  was  probably  an  inheritance' 
from  his  father,  while  a  mass  of  deep  auburn  hair 


in  which  a  few  silver  threads  gHstened  here  and 
there  curled  closely  over  a  broad  expanse  of  brow. 

Most  of  the  children  had  received  a  liberal  por- 
tion of  the  father's  good  looks,  the  men  having  the 
dark  or  black  hair  of  mother  Lomas,  and  the 
women  a  rich,  velvety  complexion  and  hair  of  a 
deep  gold  or  dark  maroon  tint,  which  could  be 
easily  regarded  as  a  legacy  from  their  English 
grandmother.  The  nine  children  of  these  sons  and 
daughters  would  have  received  marked  notice  in 
any  city  of  my  native  land,  so  charming  were  they 
in  form  and  face,  so  sprightly  and  graceful  in 
movement.  The  eldest  was  but  ten  years  old,  the 
youngest  a  crowing  infant.  Father  Lomas  had 
not  married  until  well  in  his  thirties,  thus  account- 
ing for  the  tender  years  of  his  grandchildren. 

Here  I  witnessed  again  the  happy  result  of  judi- 
cious nurture  and  training,  for  w4th  all  their  ex- 
uberance of  spirit  and  response  to  impression, 
these  children  were  obedient  and  deferential  toward 
their  elders,  yet  but  repeating  the  beautiful  cour- 
tesy of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Lomas  to  their 
widowed  father.  The  older  ones  took  a  subordi- 
nate part  in  the  general  talk,  and  both  stimulated 
it  and  amused  by  their  intelligent  questions  and 
naive  exclamations. 

The  opportunity  for  the  interview  with  Dexter 
was  brought  about  in  this  way.  Li  the  course  of 
talk  at  table  I  remarked  in  a  casual  vein,  "I  have 
been  told  that  there  is  a  notable  group  of  bow  trees 

316 


a  few  miles  north  of  here  on  the  border  of  a  lake 
which  I  have  not  had  the  privilege  of  seeing  yet. 
Perhaps  you,  Dexter,  may  be  at  leisure  to  accom- 
pany me  thus  far  and  show  me  the  wonders.  I 
will  promise  not  to  detain  you  long." 

"It  will  give  me  pleasure,  indeed,  Malcolm,  to 
go  with  you,"  replied  the  young  man. 

"Dexter,  my  son,  is  well  versed  in  trees,"  added 
the  father  with  an  accent  of  pride  in  his  voice, 
"and  can  point  out  other  features  of  the  neighbor- 
hood that  our  young  friend  from  abroad  will  enjoy 
knowing,  I  think." 

TACTICS    FOR    LOVe's    SAKE. 

An  hour  later  I  made  my  adieux  to  this  most 
entertaining  family  and  turned  the  wheels  of  my 
little  chariot,  by  Dexter's  direction,  northward. 
The  young  man  proved  an  intelligent  arborist.  He 
loved  trees  and  entered  warmly  into  the  discus- 
sion of  such  as  I  named.  The  great  bows  were 
reached  and  found  to  be  magnificent  specimens, 
indeed,  of  their  noble  class,  and  after  lingering 
half  an  hour  on  the  margin  of  the  lake  we  set  out 
to  return.  Then  I  broached  the  subject  that  lay 
upon  my  mind. 

"Dexter,  my  friend,  you  seem  to  be  nearly  my 
own  age,  and  this  short  association  has  drawn  me 
near  enough  to  you  to  enable  me  to  know  some- 
thing of  your  worth No,  do  not  protest ;  I  have 

a  word  to  say  that  is  of  importance,  and  shall  not 

317. 


occupy  time  with  a  useless  preface.  You  Oude- 
monites  do  not  waste  words  by  unnecessary  pre- 
liminaries.    It  is  about  Ellice." 

The  young  man  started,  changed  color,  but  did 
not  speak.  I  checked  the  pace  of  my  wagon  and 
continued :  "I  lately  gathered  from  a  remark  by 
one  of  your  friends  the  impression  that  you  enter- 
tain for  that  most  charming  girl  a  sentiment  that 
is  warmer  than  the  common  feeling  of  a  brother. 
If  so,  it  is  creditable  enough." 

"You  certainly  recognize  her  great  worth,  Mal- 
colm," the  young  man  interposed,  with  deep  em- 
phasis. 

"Indeed,  my  dear  fellow,  according  to  my  capac- 
ity of  appreciation  I  do  recognize  her  admirable 
traits  of  character  and  intellect,  and  if  you  sin- 
cerely harbor  the  wish  to  have  her  for  your 
wife " 

"Oh,  dear  Malcolm,  could  I  win  her  my  highest 
object  in  life  would  be  gained,"  broke  from  his 
lips. 

"Well,  I  consider  you  worthy  of  her.  Dexter, 
and  would  have  you  take  courage  in  the  thought 
that  you  may  win  her.  It  has  been  my  happy  for- 
tune, you  might  know,  to  be  much  in  the  society 
of  ElHce  while  here,  and  she  has  shown  me  a  world 
of  kindness  and  courtesy.  I  shall  carry  to  my  dis- 
tant home  many  delightful  recollections  in  which 
she  is  the  chief  figure  as  companion  and  instructor. 
If  I  were  of  your  people,  Dexter,  it  Is  most  likelv 

318 


that  I  should  be  in  the  list  as  a  suitor.  You  folks, 
however,  do  not  encourage  rivalry  or  competition 
in  love  any  more  than  you  do  in  your  other  rela- 
tions." 

"Ah,  Malcolm,  that  would  not  be  following  the 
teaching  of  the  Royal  Law — and  then  the  senti- 
ment of  the  woman." 

"Yes,  my  good  boy,  I  have  great  respect  for 
your  views  on  this  delicate  subject.  But  tell  me 
confidentially,  if  you  will — has  the  lady  in  question 
really  declined  your  attentions?" 

"No,  bless  her;  she  treats  me  very  kindly,  but 
as  yet  I  cannot  see  in  her  conduct  much  encourage- 
ment, and  lately,  your  being  here,  perhaps  I  have 
foolishly  misconstrued — and  some  have  thought — 
excuse  me,  Malcolm,  I  am  not  clear,  I  know." 

"Perhaps  I  can  grasp  the  situation  better.  Dex- 
ter, because  of  my  Northern  education  in  social 
affairs.  Ellice,  however,  is  too  much  of  an  Oude- 
monite  to  have  an  excessive  regard  for  a  stranger 
even  though  he  be  the  guest  of  her  people,  and 
therefore  entitled  to  her  respect  and  confidence; 
and  I  believe  your  chances  are  excellent  for  secur- 
ing her  favor." 

"Thank  you,  good  Malcolm;  your  words  are 
most  welcome  to  me."  The  young  man  in  his  ex- 
citement  clasped   my   hand. 

"But  don't  understand  me  as  deliberately  aiming 
to  inspire  a  false  hope.  I  can  well  believe  that  you 
have  kept  your  feeling  for  her  too  much  in  reserve, 


your  natural  delicacy  and  want  of  self-assurance 
preventing  that  show  of  regard  which  would  invite 
return  in  a  woman  who  craves  attention,  yet  is 
also  indisposed  by  natural  delicacy  to  manifest  a 
warm  feeling  unless  she  is  quite  confident  of  its 
appreciation.  Your  women  are  not  unlike  ours, 
notwithstanding  your  many  differences  in  the  mat- 
ter of  social  liberty;  they  are  women  after  all,  and 
like  to  be  sought  and  wooed  and  won. 

"Another  matter,  Dexter,  before  I  drop  you" — 
we  were  nearing  the  Lomas  home — "I  hope  in  a 
few  days  to  explore  an  ancient  mine  up  in  the  west 
ridge  that  I  stumbled  into  not  very  long  ago.  I 
need  not  go  into  particulars  with  one  so  intimate 
with  the  Dentons,  I  see.  Now  will  you  be  of  the 
party?  I  believe  that  your  geological  knowledge 
will  be  of  service  to  us."  The  deeply  earnest  ex- 
pression that  had  occupied  his  face  yielded  to  a  smile 
as  I  referred  to  my  adventure,  and  there  appeared 
in  the  voice  a  vein  of  playfulness  as  he  answered : 

"I  should  be  happy  to  go  with  you,  Malcolm. 
You  must  have  marked  the  stations  well." 

"Then  it's  agreed,  my  dear  fellow.  I  shall  notify 
you  of  the  date.  Here  we  are.  I  shall  not  carry 
you  any  farther.     A  happy  meeting  soon." 

With  a  warm  handclasp  and  an  earnest  return 
of  the  parting  words  Dexter  sprang  from  the 
goalone,  not  waiting  for  It  to  stop ;  his  whole  man- 
ner was  expressive  of  a  degree  of  exhilaration  that 
prompted  not  a  little  self-complaisance  as  I  rode 
southward  In  the  soft  afternoon  haze. 

320 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

IN    THE    ANCIENT    MINE    AGAIN. 

In  accordance  with  my  wishes  a  party  was  soon 
formed  to  visit  the  mine  that  had  been  the  scene  of 
my  accidental  adventures.  No  premature  graying 
of  hair  was  a  sequence  of  the  trials  of  that  never- 
to-be-forgotten  pit,  yet  some  disquiet  of  stomach 
annoyed  me  for  several  days  as  a  resultant  of  the 
unusual  nerve  tension.  Besides  those  friends  who 
had  participated  in  the  rescue,  Pentersoe  and  Dex- 
ter Lomas  joined  the  expedition,  which  proved 
to  be  the  last  important  event  undertaken  by  me 
before  leaving  Oudemon  to  return  North.  The 
company,  together  with  the  apparatus  considered 
necessary  for  such  investigations  as  might  be  made, 
occupied  five  goalones.  Ellice  rode  with  me,  while 
my  faithful  Jabber,  to  whose  entreaties  I  had 
yielded,  took  a  perch  upon  the  box  behind  us. 

As  we  rolled  on  I  remarked  to  the  girl :  "I  have 
invited  Dexter  partly  because  of  his  interest  in 
archaeology.  Some  talk  that  I  had  with  him  the 
other  day,  when  I  went  banana  hunting,  you  know, 
convinced  me  that  he  is  not  meanly  informed  re- 
garding the  ancient  history  of  your  country." 

"Indeed,  he  knows  a  great  deal  about  it,  Cousin 
321 


Malcolm,"  replied  Ellice.  "I  do  not  know  any  one 
who  has  studied  the  subject  more  carefully.  It  is 
a  pleasure  to  hear  Dexter  talk  on  it." 

"And  yet,  Ellice,  I  believe  that  he  may  be  very 
reticent  on  another  subject,  although  he  has  prob- 
ably given  the  most  earnest  thought  to  it." 

The  girl  looked  at  me  as  if  uncertain  of  my 
meaning,  and  I  meeting  her  gaze  with  a  quizzical 
smile,  she  flushed  slightly. 

"He  is  a  noble  fellow,"  I  went  on,  "and  one  can- 
not help  liking  him  in  the  start;  but  there  is  one 
fault  or  weakness  in  him  quite  marked." 

"Why,  Malcolm,"  what  have  you  found  in  him 
to  condemn?"  she  said  with  an  eagerness  in  the 
voice  that  pleased  me,  while  she  raised  a  hand  to 
emphasize  the  question.  Pausing  a  few  moments, 
I  gazed  into  her  face  as  if  wondering  at  her  in- 
sistence. 

"Ah,  my  dear  cousin,  there  are  men  who  are  too 
diffident  and  self-conscious  to  trust  themselves  in 
matters  that  may  concern  their  best  hopes." 

"How  trust  themselves,  Malcolm — do  I  under- 
stand you?"     Her  face  had  deepened  in  color. 

"Yes,  I  suspect  that  you  do  understand  me, 
Ellice;  for  I  think  if  Dexter  were  brave  enough 
to  speak  his  mind  you  and  he  would  be  on  better 
terms  in  a  certain  way.  Well,  it's  a  personal  affair 
and  I  should  not  obtrude  myself  in  it.  Yet  I  can- 
not help  feeling  a  deep  interest  in  my  new  cousin's 
welfare." 

^22 


She  was  silent  for  a  time  and  then  rejoined 
slowly : 

"A  while  ago,  Malcolm,  before  you  came,  I  did 
feel  strongly  toward  Dexter,  and  was  convinced 
that  he  had  much  regard  for  me,  but  he  would  not 
speak,  only  look  at  me  with  those  dark  gray  eyes 
so  pathetically,  that  I  almost  lost  patience  with 
him.  Perhaps  a  little  later  he  might  have  taken 
courage,  but  meanwhile  you  came " 

"And  the  novelty  from  the  North  claimed  your 
attention  to  the  neglect  of  the  staple  goods  of  your 
own  country — eh,  cousin?  Well,  the  novelty  must 
suffer  by  comparison,"  I  laughed,  and  Ellice  smiled 
at  the  levity  of  my  humor,  but  responded  some- 
what gravely: 

"No,  no,  Malcolm,  stranger  friend  never-to-be- 
forgotten;  but  we  must  bow  to  circumstances,  es- 
pecially when  you  men  so  obstinately  determine 
them." 

"If  for  the  better,  why  not  bow  in  happy  sub- 
mission, thou  bright  hope  of  the  Denton  house? 
Ah,  you  women  of  Oudemon,  on  you  rests  the 
happiness  of  the  masculine  world  hereabouts,  and 
you  know  it.  I  may  not  be  as  wise  as  your  broth- 
ers of  this  free  nation,  Ellice,  yet  I  think  that  your 
future  is  related  to  that  of  Dexter  Lomas." 

She  made  no  answer,  but  sat  with  her  eyes  look- 
ing away  over  the  landscape  as  we  passed  along. 
I  did  not  press  the  subject  further,  but  turned  the 


323 


current  of  talk  on  other  matters  in  which  the  girl 
joined  almost  mechanically. 

At  the  great  maguey  Dexter  and  Pentersoe  were 
in  waiting,  the  former  saluting  Ellice  with  a  smil- 
ing confidence  of  manner  that  gratified  me,  espe- 
cially as  I  noted  on  Ellice's  frank  countenance  an 
expression  of  pleased  surprise.  On  arriving  at  the 
point  of  ascent  to  the  elevated  terrace  I  found  that 
a  rope  had  been  stretched  from  the  lower  to  the 
upper  level,  so  that  the  party  made  its  way  easily 
upward;  and  at  the  shaft,  which  was  soon  reached, 
a  boom  with  rigging  had  been  set  that  facilitated 
the  descent  to  the  bottom  and  robbed  it  of  all  dan- 
ger. Seeing  these  preparations  for  our  quest  I 
turned  to  Restling  inquiringly. 

"You  may  thank  Bross  Champlin  for  all  this, 
my  boy.  He  has  been  as  anxious  as  yourself  to 
explore  the  secrets  of  yon  passage,  yet  has  not 
entered  it,  yielding  precedence  to  its  modern  dis- 
coverer." 

Lamps  were  lighted  as  soon  as  we  touched  the 
pit's  bottom,  and  then  in  Indian  file  we  entered  the 
narrow  gateway,  Ellice  preceding  me  and  Dexter 
following  her.  We  had  larger  lamps  now,  very 
powerful  in  illuminating  capacity,  clearing  up  the 
passage  for  fifty  feet  or  more  in  advance  and  bring- 
ing into  distinct  view  small  objects  on  the  floor  or 
walls.  The  engineer  led  the  way,  bearing  a  lamp. 
I  was  next,  carrying  a  strong,  steel-pointed  staff. 
The  brilliancy  of  the  lights  was  reflected  by  a  thou- 

324 


sand  radiant  points  on  wall  and  floor.  Crystals 
of  every  hue  gleamed  and  sparkled,  many  almost 
dazzling  by  their  intensity,  and  calling  out  ex- 
clamations of  surprise  and  pleasure  now  and  then 
from  some  of  the  party.  Accustomed  though  they 
were  to  the  wonders  of  their  country,  the  richness 
of  this  new  field  of  mineral  deposits  and  gems  ap- 
peared remarkable.  For  myself  I  yielded  quite 
freely  to  my  emotions  of  delight,  and  often  burst , 
out  with  strong  expressions  of  admiration  and 
amazement,  evidently  to  the  great  amusement  of 
my  companions. 

"Dexter,  how  like  Vega,"  cried  Ellice,  pointing 
to  a  brilliant  spot  in  the  wall  forward  which  glowed 
with  blue  and  red.  The  young  man  darted  by  me 
and  Champlin  and  in  a  trice  had  detached  a  large 
crystal  from  its  native  bed,  and  then  returning, 
handed  it  to  Ellice.  "It  is  a  sapphire,  I  think,"  he 
said,  "and  of  unusual  size,  as  you  may  see." 

"Beautiful,  indeed,  Dexter;  how  it  would  polish! 
Cousin  Malcolm,  will  you  have  it?  Perhaps  take 
it  home  for  Olive?"  she  added  in  a  lower  tone. 

"If  Dexter  does  not  protest,  I  will,  gladly."  At 
the  same  time  I  took  the  stone  from  her  hand. 

"No,  certainly  not.  If  you  care  I  will  examine 
and  compare  it  with  other  sapphires  in  my  collec- 
tion and  tell  you  about  it  soon.  The  corundum, 
layers  are  heavy  here  and  I  have  no  doubt  we  can 
find  some  fine  ruby  and  lazuli  masses.     Perhaps 


325 


Olive's  complexion  would  be  better  suited  to  the 
ruby." 

"Well,  I  must  say  that  somebody  has  been  giv- 
ing me  away — that  little  witch  of  a  Stella.  Thank 
you,  my  excellent  Dexter,  she  is  much  on  the  order 
of  our  Ellice — a  trifle  darker,  maybe.  But  I  will 
keep  the  sapphire  and  you  may  send  her  a  ruby." 

"There,  Dexter,"  cried  Ellice,  laughing,  "see 
how  accommodating  our  Northern  cousin  is — we 
must  provide  him  with  a  good,  large  ruby,  or  per- 
haps a  beryl ;  you  know  I  admire  the  beryl  because 
of  its  Bible  significance — and  I  remember,  eh,  you 
once  expressed  a  liking  for  beryls  because  of  their 
deep,   seagreen  tints." 

"Just  as  you  like,  young  folks,"  said  I ;  "let  it  be 
a  beryl — the  variety  or  oddity  of  the  stone  will  be 
a  point  in  its  favor,  for  Olive  likes  rare  things." 

"I  shall  be  on  the  alert  for  a  good  specimen, 
Ellice,  you  may  be  sure,"  the  young  man  said,  a 
marked  accent  of  pleasure  warming  his  voice. 

Our  party  made  a  rapid  march  along  the  irregu- 
lar passages,  taking  the  direction  I  had  pursued. 
I  looked  in  vain  for  signs  of  reptile  inhabitants, 
and  wondered  that  none  appeared,  until  Archbold 
remarked,  as  if  he  had  received  an  impression  of 
my  thought:  "We  set  two  mongosta  to  work  here 
a  few  days  after  your  visit,  Malcolm,  and  they 
have  apparently  made  these  recesses  more  agreea- 
ble for  those  who  might  care  to  stay  in  them  over 
night.'* 

326 


"But  I  believe,  brother,  that  one  of  our  mongosta 
failed  to  return,  and  we  are  at  a  loss  to  know  why," 
said  the  engineer. 

"Perhaps  the  good  beast  found  escape  through 
an  opening  somewhere  in  the  ridge,"  I  ventured. 

"Not  likely,  Malcolm;  we  shall  probably  find 
another  shaft  like  the  one  back.  The  ancient  Aztec 
miners  made  their  excavations  in  the  mountains 
between  two  deep  pits,  as  a  rule,  and  I  think  this 
series  of  tunnels  will  finally  terminate  in  a  shaft 
as  large  or  larger  than  the  one  by  which  we  have 
entered." 

A  RELIC  OF  THE   MIOCENE. 

We  had  by  this  time  extended  our  subterranean 
journey  beyond  the  point  where  my  lamp  had  failed 
and  entered  a  second  chamber-like  expansion  hav- 
ing a  voluted  roof  twenty  feet  or  more  in  height. 
Here  was  a  convenient  place  for  stopping  and  con- 
ference regarding  further  proceedings.  The  floor 
was  covered  with  debris  from  the  old  cuttings, 
several  small  heaps  of  it  forming  tolerable  seats. 
The  air  here  had  a  freshness  quite  remarkable,  yet 
no  mark  of  an  opening  in  roof  or  sides  to  the  outer 
world  was  discernible  in  the  light  of  our  lamps. 
We  concluded  to  address  ourselves  to  the  lunch 
baskets  that  were  a  good  part  of  our  luggage,  and 
discussed  ways  and  means  for  continuing  our  in- 
vestigations while  munching  the  palatable  food 
found  in  plentiful  supply  in  the  fragrant  napkins. 

0^7 


Attracted  by  a  peculiar  scintellation  in  an  angle 
of  the  wall  near  which  we,  i.e.,  Ellice,  Dexter  and 
I,  were  sitting,  Dexter  examined  the  spot  and  found 
it  to  be  caused  by  a  formation  of  quartzose,  of 
which  he  struck  off  a  large  fragment.  On  closer 
inspection  he  pronounced  it  gold  bearing,  and  was 
confirmed  in  opinion  by  the  engineer,  who  said 
that  he  had  little  doubt  that  this  large  space  had 
been  excavated  on  account  of  its  richness  in  depos- 
its of  gold  and  gems,  and  that  it  was  most  likely 
that  the  supply  of  useful  metal  was  far  from  ex- 
hausted. Picking  up  some  of  the  bits  of  stone 
from  the  floor,  he  pointed  to  grayish  brown  specks 
in  the  crystalline  structure  which  indicated  the  pres- 
ence of  gold.  "I  am  of  opinion,"  remarked  Cham- 
plin,  "that  the  old  miners  found  the  rock  so  well 
stored  with  seamy  gold  that  they  considered  the 
small  stuff  lying  here  of  little  account.  I  think 
that  if  we  pass  higher  up  through  yonder  gallery 
we  shall  find  the  walls  largely  composed  of  aurifer- 
ous rock." 

This  remark  suggested  the  continuance  of  our 
exploration.  There  were  two  passages  leading 
from  this  chamber,  both  elevated  above  the  floor, 
one  at  the  height  of  about  four  feet,  the  other  fully 
seven,  the  orginal  workers  having  provided  rough 
steps  in  the  brittle  stone  for  access  to  them.  The 
lower  passage  was  the  wider,  and  from  it  a  very 
decided  current  of  air  flowed  into   the  chamber. 


328 


accounting  for  the  freshness  that  was  perceived 
when  we  first  entered  it.  We  decided  to  seek  for 
the  source  of  this  current,  and  so  made  our  way 
into  the  lower  channel,  Willis  taking  the  lead,  lamp 
in  hand.  A  hundred  feet  within  this  passage  brought 
us  to  an  abrupt  turn,  the  walls  presenting  a  very- 
rough  surface,  with  fissures  and  crypts  and  rude 
projections  that  compelled  more  care  in  our  march 
than  we  had  hitherto  observed,  for  the  blaze  of 
crystal  and  metallic  deposit  was  now  so  intense 
as  to  be  fairly  dazzling,  at  least  to  my  eyes,  and 
collision  of  arm  or  leg  with  a  sharp  angle  was  far 
from  agreeable. 

Willis  preceded  us  around  the  turn  by  perhaps 
fifteen  feet,  going  forward  with  the  buoyancy  of 
sanguine  youth,  while  the  remainder  of  the  party 
hesitated  a  little,  in  view  of  the  suddenness  of  the 
change  in  direction.  Then  an  exclamation  of  sur- 
prise was  heard,  followed  by  the  speedy  return  of 
the  young  fellow. 

"My  dear  friends,"  said  he,  in  a  tone  of  excite- 
ment, "the  passage  a  little  around  the  bend  here 
falls  off,  I  should  think,  twenty  feet,  all  at  once, 
and  is  much  wider.  I  had  almost  stepped  off,  and 
there  below  I  saw,  I  am  quite  sure,  a  large  animal — 
a  very  strange-looking  animal,  with  a  snake-like 
head  and  neck  and  a  large,  smooth,  shining  body. 
Dexter  can  tell  us  what  it  is,  no  doubt." 

"Perhaps  I  can,"  replied  young  Lomas,  mod- 
estly, and  started  forward,  the  engineer  and  Willis 

329 


with  him.     In  a  few  minutes  they  returned,  and 
to  our  eager  looks  Champlin  answered: 

"Our  young  Bruce  might  have  stumbled  into 
a  worse  trap  than  ]\Ialcolm,  for  right  at  the  foot 
of  the  break  in  the  level,  twenty  feet  down,  cer- 
tainly lies  an  enormous  beast.  Dexter  thinks  it  is 
a  constrictor  or  saurian  of  a  rare  variety — a  survival 
of  a  very  old  species.  When  Willis  reflected  a 
beam  from  his  lamp  upon  it  the  beast  partly  uncoiled 
and  reared  its  beak-like  jaw  in  the  air — it  seemed 
the  girth  of  an  oil-cask  or  even  larger.  Such  an 
animal  could  easily  ascend  to  our  level." 

He  spoke  wth  a  coolness,  even  a  lightness,  that 
sounded  out  of  harmony  with  the  place  we  were  in 
— a  narrow  space,  rock-bound,  in  the  bowels  of 
the  mountain,  and  far  from  the  point  of  ingress. 
I  looked  from  face  to  face  of  my  companions. 
They  were  calm  and  assured;  even  Ellice  smiled 
as  she  returned  my  glance.  But  it  was  very  differ- 
ent with  my  four-pawed  attendant.  All  along  he 
had  shown  the  greatest  exhilaration — gamboling 
about,  peering  here  and  there  at  niche  and  corner, 
and  amusing  us  by  his  antics,  meanwhile  carrying 
the  lunch  basket.  Now  he  crouched  at  my  feet, 
whining  and  trembling,  as  if  in  great  alarm. 

"Well,"  said  the  elder  Bruce,  "the  disappear- 
ance of  the  mongosta  seems  to  clear  up." 

"You  think,  then,  Jasper,  that  this  beast  has 
despatched  him?"  I  asked. 

"Very  little  doubt  of  it,  Malcolm." 
330 


"I  suppose  our  exploration  is  at  an  end."  My 
feeling  of  disappointment  must  have  been  apparent 
in  the  tone,  for  Restling  answered  decidedly : 

"By  no  means,  my  boy.  We  are  provided  against 
interferences,  and  I  am  quite  sure  that  Bross  and 
Dexter  are  burning  to  get  into  that  lower  cutting 
and  will  not  tolerate  defeat  from  such  a  source." 

"Archbold  reflects  my  wish,"  added  the  engi- 
neer, "for  certainly  I  am  in  no  humor  for  turning 
about  just  here.  From  the  quality  of  the  air  we 
must  be  quite  near  an  outlet  or  opening  of  some 
sort."  Opening  the  satchel  carried  over  a  shoulder 
as  he  spoke  he  took  out  a  small  cylinder  that  ap- 
peared in  the  lamplight  much  like  the  cartridges 
used  in  the  mines,  and  a  spool  of  dull,  metallic 
thread. 

"I  should  like  to  preserve  as  much  of  the  animal 
as  possible  for  our  museum,"  remarked  Dexter. 
"Are  you  going  to  blow  him  up?"  I  asked. 

"I  don't  know  any  other  way  to  placate  the  beast, 
good  Malcolm,  and  he  is  right  in  our  path,  and  it 
is  likely  that  he  will  not  feel  much  of  the  shock. 
This  is  one  of  our  mining  combinations  and  quite 
effective,  as  you  may  know,  in  open  firing." 

We  quietly  looked  on  for  the  brief  space  occu- 
pied by  the  engineer  in  preparing  the  explosive. 
Having  attached  the  loose  end  of  the  thread  to  a 
small  ring  in  the  side  of  the  cartridge.  Dexter  took 
the  latter,  with  a  few  coils  of  thread  in  hand,  and 
quietly  walked  around  the  projecting  wall  into  the 


unexplored  passage,  the  engineer  unwinding  the 
spool  as  was  required.  Meanwhile  the  remainder 
of  the  party  withdrew  twenty  feet  or  more  back- 
ward. In  another  minute  Dexter  had  returned 
to  us.  "None  too  soon,"  he  said  hastily;  "the 
reptile  is  partly  up  the  wall." 

Champlin  carefully  drew  upon  the  thread  until 
the  slack  was  taken  up;  then  a  forcible  jerk  was 
followed  almost  instantly  by  a  dull  roar  and  the 
crackle  and  crash  of  bursting  rock,  with  a  rush  of 
dust  and  wind  that  dulled  the  brilliancy  of  our 
lamps  and  suspended  breathing  for  a  little. 

"I'm  thinking  that  Antonio  must  have  mixed  the 
tubes.  This  one  was  fully  two  degrees  more  pow- 
erful than  we  needed  and  has  overdone  the  matter," 
commented  Champlin.  "I  fear,  my  excellent  geolo- 
gist, you  must  now  be  content  with  broken  bones." 

"Perhaps  Ellice  wall  help  me  to  articulate  them. 
If  so,  Bross,  I  shall  be  quite  content,"  replied  the 
young  naturalist  in  a  playful  vein,  yet  with  an  ac- 
cent of  confidence  that  must  have  been  new  to  the 
girl,  for  she  glanced  at  him  wuth  a  surprised  ges- 
ture and  then  added : 

"If  you  think,  Dexter,  I  can  be  of  help  that  way, 
I  shall,  gladly.  But  see  how  the  sunlight  comes  in 
there.     You  men  have  broken  down  the  roof." 

We  hastened  to  the  scene  of  destruction,  Cham- 
plin leading,  Dexter  walking  close  by  Ellice  and 
speaking  in  a  low  voice  to  her.  The  shot  had  been 
most  effective;  it  had  torn  away  the  friable  wall 


on  both  sides  for  ten  feet  and  made  an  opening 
overhead  of  three  feet  in  diameter  where  the  rock 
was  evidently  quite  thin,  so  much,  indeed,  of  the 
stone  and  crumble  being  thrown  down  as  to  fill 
the  deep  passage  half  way  up  toward  our  level. 

AN   ANCIENT   TREASURY. 

What  proved  most  interesting  to  me  was  the  ex- 
posure of  a  chamber  on  the  left  of  this  passage, 
the  light  from  the  break  above  being  sufficient  for 
its  thorough  examination.  It  was  a  large  cistern 
or  well-like  space,  the  wall  on  the  undisturbed 
sides  arching  to  an  elliptical  ceiling  not  more  than 
six  feet  long,  while  at  the  floor  the  diameter  was 
fully  twenty  feet.  On  the  sides  were  three  shelf - 
like  projections  on  which  were  set  in  close  rows 
blocks  of  a  dark  bronze-colored  substance.  We  en- 
tered this  chamber  and  looked  about  us.  Dexter, 
however,  had  jumped  down  upon  the  rocky  ruin  in 
the  lower  gallery  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  the  strange 
beast.  Climbing  a  little,  aided  by  the  roughness  of 
the  wall  I  was  able  to  reach  one  of  the  shelves 
and  threw  down  two  of  the  blocks.  They  were 
heavy  enough — fifty  pounds  apiece  at  least.  Champ- 
lin  picked  up  one,  struck  it  with  his  hammer  pick, 
and  remarked :    "This  is  a  crude  quality  of  gold." 

"What,  do  you  mean  that  all  the  stuff  piled 
upon  these  shelves  is  gold?"  I  cried  in  amazement. 

"Most  likely,  Malcolm,  if  this  is  a  sample,"  he 
333 


returned,  laughing  at  my  earnestness.  "The  in- 
dications are  that  the  ancient  miners  had  a  furnace 
near  by  and  smelted  the  rough  masses  of  ore  which, 
for  the  greater  part,  they  may  have  taken  out  of 
this  chamber  and  the  one  farther  back.  Then 
somewhat  later  this  was  used  for  storing  the  pro- 
duct, I  think." 

.  'Tf   all   this   is   gold,   Archbold,   w^hy,   think  of 
its  enormous  value,"  I  persisted. 

"It  is  yours,  all  of  it,  my  dear  boy,  by  right  of 
discovery,"  said  my  friend,  smiling,  that  favorite 
twinkle  sparkling  richly  also  in  his  eye.  "When 
will  you  take  it  home?" 

The  manner  of  the  dear  councillor  and  his  ques- 
tion awakened  me  from  the  state  of  forgetfulness 
of  my  immediate  social  environment  into  which 
this  sudden  exhibition  of  untold  wealth  had  precipi- 
tated me.  How  potent  is  the  spell  of  gold  upon 
the  soul  bred  amid  the  scenes  where  money  and 
riches  constitute  the  chief  feature  of  interest  and 
admiration!  Conscious  now  as  to  where  I  was 
and  with  a  face  that  must  have  reddened  deeply, 
for  the  hot  blood  flashed  through  its  vessels,  I  con- 
fessed : 

"Oh,  I  had  for  the  moment  forgotten  where  I 
am — here  among  3^ou,  dear  people.  If  mine  by 
right  of  discovery,  although  I  might  question  that 
on  grounds  recognized  in  the  law  of  my  own  coun- 
try, I  tender  it  freely  to  you,  as  I  know  you  can 
make  the  better  use  of  it." 

334 


The  engineer  picked  up  the  heavy  ingot  again, 
struck  it  sharply  several  times  with  his  hammer 
until  it  broke  into  two  pieces,  revealing  a  glistening, 
crystalloid  surface  of  a  deep  cherry  color. 

"You  see  how  the  metal  has  set,  in  the  course  of 
centuries  assuming  this  beautiful  coral-like  charac- 
ter— an  unusual  occurrence,  I  am  sure." 

"Very  remarkable,  Bross,"  add  Pentersoe. 

Taking  up  the  smaller  piece,  I  said :  "This  is  cer- 
tainly most  beautiful  and  curious.  I  should  like 
to  keep  it  as  a  specimen  of  the  work  of  the  primitive 
gold  hunters,  but  it  would  be  a  rather  burdensome 
sample."  I  let  it  fall  to  the  floor,  and  Jabber,  as 
if  divining  my  meaning,  seized  the  metal  and  with 
seeming  ease  hopped  gleefully  about  as  if  delighted 
to  be  its  bearer. 

"Well,  Jabber  has  assumed  the  duty  of  transport- 
ing the  prize,"  said  the  elder  Bruce,  laughing,  and 
you  have  only  to  slip  it  into  your  basket  and  he  will 
carry  it." 

A  moment  later  Dexter  joined  us  in  the  treasure 
vault,  with  the  report  that  he  could  only  find  a 
joint  or  two  of  the  tail  of  the  beast,  the  remainder 
being  covered  by  the  fallen  rock.  "We  have  hap- 
pened upon  a  very  interesting  field,  it  seems  to  me, 
dear  friends.  To  be  sure  the  blast  has  served  the 
animal  badly.  Look  at  this  bit  of  tail,  how  tough 
and  bony  and  peculiar!  I  have  never  seen  any- 
thing like  it  in  any  of  the  treatises;  suggests  a 
mixed  variety,  something  of  the  old  dinosaur  and 

335 


something  of  the  boa.  We  must  come  up  soon 
again,  Lewis,  and  get  the  fellow  out.  There  are 
other  features,  too.  The  south  wall  of  the  tunnel 
has  given  way  partly,  near  the  bottom ;  it  is  a  built- 
up  wall.  I  saw  projecting  from  it  a  large  human 
bone — a  femur,  I'm  sure — part  of  a  skeleton  of 
great  size;  a  very  giant  he  must  have  been  in  life. 
It  seems  to  point  to  the  existence  of  a  vault  or 
crypt  containing  remains  of  men,  some  of  whom, 
perhaps,  delved  in  these  mines." 

"Why,  my  good  Dexter,"  said  Archbold,  "this 
is  a  discovery  indeed.  We  have  never  before  found 
any  remains  of  the  ancient  inhabitants  themselves, 
although  the  vestiges  of  their  customs  and  indus- 
trial activities  are  abundant  enough.  I  hope  that 
you  will  obtain  a  complete  skeleton,  studious  broth- 
ers, and  learn  much  from  their  skulls  of  that  life 
history  which  the  old  Eastern  poem  says  is  writ- 
ten upon  one's  head." 

"I  am  greatly  pleased  that  we  have  accomplished 
so  much  to-day,  my  dear  friends,"  I  interposed, 
"and  am  content  now  to  think  of  returning." 

"The  suggestion  is  a  proper  one,"  said  Jasper, 
"for  the  day  must  be  wearing  away." 

"About  sixteen  hours,  comrades,"  added  the  en- 
gineer, "Perhaps  we  can  emerge  into  daylight 
through  the  rift  up  there  and  be  able  to  make  a 
quick   run  home." 

Getting  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  stalwart 
Champlin,  Dexter  could  just  reach  the  break,  and 

336 


by  a  nimble  feat  of  gymnastics  pulled  himself 
through  it  and  a  moment  afterward  peered  down 
upon  us  with  the  announcement  that  he  was  upon 
a  shelving  bank,  and  although  the  ground  was 
rather  steep  and  broken,  we  could  make  the  descent 
with  a  little  care.  A  few  feet  of  rope  soon  landed 
the  remainder  of  us  outside  the  treasure  vault, 
where  the  engineer  after  a  brief  survey  of  the 
country,   said : 

"We  are,  I  think,  about  two  miles  from  our 
starting  point  above.  That  clump  of  jupati  I 
know,"  pointing  to  a  group  of  the  beautiful  trees, 
whose  plume-like  leaves  trailing  forty  or  more  feet 
downward  indicated  unmistakably  their  character, 
although  as  much  as  a  mile  and  a  half  distant.  "A 
little  beyond  is  a  vein  of  iron  we  think  of  opening. 
We  shall  save  time  by  getting  down  to  the  level 
from  this  point." 

We  made  the  descent  without  difficulty,  aside 
from  a  little  incident  in  which  Jabber  figured  con- 
spicuously. Owing  to  the  weight  of  the  basket  and 
his  irrepressible  disposition  to  frolic,  the  monkey 
took  two  headers  on  the  loose  shaly  incline,  but 
recovered  his  balance  and  good  nature,  accompany- 
ing the  gyrations  with  the  most  ludicrous  chatter- 
ing and  grimaces.  Dexter  gave  much  attention 
to  Ellice,  affording  me  a  very  agreeable  study  of 
gallant  courtesy — the  old  Spanish  cavalierism  sol- 
vent in  the  blood  of  his  father  exploited  itself  in 
really  charming  fashion.      He  was  no   longer  the 

337 


shy,  hesitating  swain,  but  appeared  in  an  entirely 
new  role  of  conduct,  offering  the  girl  of  his  heart 
all  the  offices  of  a  refined  and  delicate  escort  in  a 
calm,  assured,  yet  most  earnest  manner.  And 
Ellice — well,  she  received  the  attentions  of  the  fine 
fellow  with  such  a  demeanor  of  satisfaction  that 
I  could  not  help  feeling  a  pang  of  regret  or  envy 
despite  the  fact  that  all  this  pretty  by-play  was 
largely  of  my  own  making,  and  thus  I  had  figured 
as  a  matchmaker,  a  character  for  whom  I  had  al- 
ways entertained  a  species  of  contempt.  But  in 
Oudemon  affairs  of  the  heart  were  different,  and 
then  to  bring  about  a  union  of  two  such  persons  as 
these  young  people  could  not  be  otherwise  than  a 
creditable  bit  of  strategy,  and  I  should  not  lose  by 
it,  for  gratitude  in  that  republic  of  love  was  a  real 
and  lasting  sentiment — not  a  mere  expression  of 
transitory  feeling  such  as  in  other  lands  is  voiced 
by  the  conventional — *'Oh,  I  thank  you  very  much." 

It  was  nearly  seventeen  hours  when  we  reached 
the  great  maguey,  where  half  our  party  struck  off 
in  their  homeward  directions,  leaving  us  of  District 
fourteen  to  proceed  in  ours.  Dexter  wrung  my 
hand.  A  bright  light  gleaming  in  his  eyes  betrayed 
his  inward  joy  as  I  remarked :  "Well  done,  good  boy ; 
you  have  but  to  go  on  and  win  the  pearl  of  our 
district." 

Ellice  was  in  exuberant  spirits,  and  chatted  mer- 
rily, insisting,  with  girlish  caprice,  upon  taking 
the  guide  bar  of  the  goalone,  while  I  must  look 

338 


after  the  motor.  An  hour  later  the  sun  dropped 
over  the  ridge,  and  the  multi-hued  twiHght  of  the 
region,  with  its  thousand  reflections  from  peak  and 
glistening  leafage,  settled  upon  us,  and  soon  the 
moon,  nearly  full,  illuminated  a  cloudless  sky. 
When  finally  our  fleet  carriages  entered  the  court 
of  my  "hotel"  and  mother  Bruce  and  Stella  wel- 
comed our  return,  the  time  measurer  hanging  in 
the  family  room  had  but  a  little  space  before 
sounded  twenty  hours;  not,  let  it  be  said,  by  the 
slow  process  common  to  Northern  clocks,  but  in  a 
fashion  analogous  to  that  of  the  stenographic  print 
and  caligraphy  of  Oudemon — for  instance,  two 
strokes  upon  the  silvery  gong,  a  long  pause  being 
made  between  them. 


339 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

A  GRAVE  COMMUNICATION. 

"Why^  Malcolm,  cousin,  so  sober?  Are  you  not 
well?" 

"Ah,  ma  petite,  are  you  a  witch?  If  so,  cer- 
tainly the  most  charming  one  I've  met." 

"Dear,  you  must  not  talk  that  way,  cousin;  you 
do  not  know  how  it  affects  my  heart,"  the  girl  an- 
swered, with  a  grimace  and  affectation  of  sentiment 
most  amusing.  "There's  that  sweet  girl  up  North 
— are  you  thinking  of  her?  If  so,  why  carry  around 
such  a  woebegone  face  ?  You  have  not  spoken  more 
than  a  dozen  words  to  us  all  this  morning,  Mal- 
colm, really."  The  last  half  of  the  remark  had  a 
note  of  seriousness. 

"Well,  my  dear  little  seeress,  if  I  must,  I  v/ill  de- 
clare to  you  the  heaviness  of  my  soul.  I  am  out 
of  sorts  this  morning,  if  you  can  catch  the  meaning 
of  a  common  phrase  with  us,  this  morning;  not 
physically,  but  oppressed  by  a  singular  feeling,  as 
if  things  were  not  altogether  right  at  home.  'Tis 
a  vague  impression  that  I  have  been  trying  to  guess, 
but  really  have  no  way  to  solve  it." 

"Perhaps   I   can   help   you,    cousin." 

"I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you  could,  you  wonderful 
340 


sister  of  the  Macbeth  mystics.  I  had  about  con- 
ckided  to  go  over  to  Archbold  and  ask  his  help." 

"Try  me,  Malcolm;  do  try  me.  You  know  I 
am  studying  these  things  very  earnestly  and  am 
learning " 

"Yes,  Stella,  the  good  councillor  says  that  you 
can  receive  a  message  very  well.  And  there's  that 
affair  of  the  old  mine ;  it  put  to  flight  nearly  all  my 
doubts,  you  know." 

"1  do  believe  you  have  the  gift  yourself,  cousin. 
Now  is  it  not  likely  that  you  have  an  impression 
that  might  be  made  out?" 

"I  shall  not  be  contumacious,  little  one ;  but  what 
may  I  do  to  put  you  in  the  mood  of  interpretation  ?" 

"Oh,  let  me  sit  by  you  and  hold  your  hand  for 
a  little,  and  perhaps  I  will  get  the  vibration,  if 
friends  are  thinking  much  of  you  and  would  com- 
municate with  you." 

"Here  is  a  letter  I  received  from  Olive  some 
weeks  ago,  and  here  is  the  portrait  of  mother" — 
drawing  them  from  my  pocket.  The  thought  of 
how  certain  clairvoyants  I  had  met  conducted  their 
seances  recurred  to  mind — "Perhaps  they  may  as- 
sist." 

"Yes,  they  might,"  replied  the  girl,  taking  letter 
and  photograph  in  one  hand  and  pressing  them 
against  her  upper  forehead,  while  with  the  other 
hand  she  clasped  mine.  Closing  her  eyes  she  re- 
mained silent  for  five  or  six  minutes,  while  I  sat 


341 


beside  her,  expectantly  curious.     Suddenly  she  ex- 
claimed : 

"There,  it  comes!  The  light  is  opening!"  Her 
voice  was  strangely  different  from  its  usual  tone. 

"Oh,  how  peculiar!  how  many  houses!  the 
crowded  street !  what  noises !  Ah,  I  am  in  a  room ; 
how  pretty  everything  is!  so  neat,  so  graceful! 
There,  a  bed  of  high  corners,  of  dark  wood;  such 
a  sweet  pink  and  white  spread,  and  such  a  sweet- 
looking  lady  with  wavy  gray  hair,  lying  still  in  it." 

"Can  it  be  my  dear  mother,  Stella?  Is  she 
alive?"  was  my  anxious  inquiry,  for  the  bedstead 
and  covering  were  such  as  mother  used. 

"Yes;  still,  Malcolm!"  the  girl  ordered  impera- 
tively. "It  comes  slowly.  Now  she  speaks.  Can 
I  hear?     Do  not  move!" 

Over  the  young  face  crept  an  expression  so  in- 
tense that  it  gave  a  maturity  of  age  that  amazed 
me. 

"Now,  yes,  I  hear — 'The  doctor  says  I  am  much 
better,  Olive  dear.  I  am  glad  for  Malcolm' — there 
are  tears  in  her  eyes — *yet,  poor  boy,  when  he 
knows '  " 

"Knows  what — oh,  Stella,  dear,  good  girl,  can 
you  not  hear  what  it  may  be?" 

"Still — still,  or  I  cannot  catch  it,  so  low — A 
young  woman  with  such  a  kind  face,  such  lovely 
eyes — listen,  she  speaks — 'we  are  so  glad  that  you 
are  better,  dearest  madam '  " 

"'Tis  Olive,"  I  could  not  forbear  exclaiming,  for 
342 


that  was  the  fashion  in  which  she  often  addressed 
my  mother. 

"Still — 'and  Malcolm  will  not  think  so  much 
about  his  business  afifairs  when  he  returns  to  find 
you  have  recovered  from  this  illness.  We  will 
cheer  him  up,  won't  we?'  What  a  sweet  manner! 
What  a  lovely  voice!  Now  again  she  is  about  to 
speak — the  dear  sick  one — listen — 'I  am  sorry, 
though,  for  my  dear  son;  he  had  every  confidence 
in  Langer '  " 

"What,  has  Langer  gone  wrong?"  I  cried  anx- 
iously.    "Oh,  get  more,  to  clear  this  mystery." 

Stella  shook  her  head  reprovingly  while  her 
small  fingers  tightened  about  mine. 

"Listen — she  says  so  slowly — 'But  perhaps 
Langer  was  so  much  involved  in  his  speculations 
that  he  thought  to  retrieve  himself  by  using  Mal- 
colm's trust.'  Now  Olive  takes  her  hand  gently 
and  speaks :  'Never  mind,  dearest  madam.  I  am  sure 
when  Malcolm  comes  home  he  will  make  it  all  right' 
— and  you  will,  I  know,  cousin — 'Don't  worry  about 
it.  Now  go  to  sleep  and  you  will  feel  so  much 
stronger.'  There,  see  how  gently  she  smooths  the 
sick  woman's  hair  and  arranges  the  bed  coverings. 
I  like  you,  Olive,  very  much.  We  should  all  love 
you  were  you  with  us." 

The  girl  opened  her  eyes,  and  looked  at  me  for  a 
few  seconds  like  one  awakening  from  a  deep  sleep. 

"What  have  I  said,  cousin  Malcolm?  I  feel  as 
if  I  had  been  somewhere — a  long  way." 

343 


"My  little  seeress,  if  what  ycu  have  just  said  is 
true,  and  some  of  it  I  know  to  be,  you  have  been  a 
great  way  in  mind  or  spirit ;  and  while  I  must  thank 
you  for  doing  me  an  important  service  I  cannot 
but  regret  that  it  is  of  a  nature  to  hurry  me  away 
from  here  and  all  the  dear  people  I  have  grown  to 
like  so  much." 

"Oh,  dear  cousin,  I  am  so  sorry  that  I  have  said 
anything  to  worry  you,  and  make  you  feel  that  you 
must  hurry  away  from  us."  The  tears  flashed  into 
her  eyes,  and  with  both  hands  she  grasped  mine 
pleadingly. 

"Dear  little  cousin,  it  is  for  the  best,  I'm  sure. 
Through  your  wonderful  gift  I  may  be  saved,  and 
others,  from  what  would  be  a  very  serious  misfor- 
tune; and  then  you  have  told  me  that  my  mother 
is  improving  after — very  grave  illness.  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  my  affairs  had  been  the  cause  of  her 
breakdown,  thinking,  no  doubt,  that  I  must  be  so 
far  from  home  that  the  worst  could  happen  without 
any  interference  on  my  part." 

"Oh,  Malcolm,"  cried  Stella  with  sudden  thought, 
"let  us  run  and  find  our  friend  Archbold " 

"But  Stella,  your  school,  and  it  is  now 
time " 

"It  will  not  matter  for  to-day,  cousin  dear.  Oh. 
I  should  like  to  know  if  Archbold  has  anything  like 
what  I  have  seen,  and  you  can  tell  me  all  I  said 
w^hile  asleep,  for  I  was  asleep.  You  must  have 
power  that  way,  Malcolm." 

344 


"You  mean  what  we  call  magnetic  or  hypnotic 
power.     I  never  knew  it  before." 

"I  suppose  so.  We  call  it — Archbold  has  said 
it  is  a  spiritual  communicating  influence  or  sym- 
pathy." 

"Certainly  well  named — put  on  your  sun  hat  and 
I  shall  soon  have  the  goalone  ready." 

We  had  not  been  .fifteen  minutes  on  the  way 
when  Stella  exclaimed:  "There  comes  Archbold 
now."  Sure  enough  the  councillor  was  just  turn- 
ing a  corner  in  our  direction  and  coursing  rapidly. 
The  next  minute  our  vehicles  were  stopped  side  by 
side.  I  noted  an  unusual  expression  on  his  face, 
which  yielded  only  in  part  as  he  saluted  us. 

"We  were  just  on  our  way  to  see  you,  dear  coun- 
cillor," said  Stella.  "I  did  not  go  to  school,  you 
see. 

"As  I  supposed,  little  friend.  Have  you,  Mal- 
colm, any  intimation  of  trouble  at  home?" 

"Yes,  my  excellent;  within  the  hour  I  have  re- 
ceived intimations  through  our  Stella  here,  both 
pleasant  and  unpleasant,"  and  I  went  on  to  relate 
the  particulars  of  the  seance,  Archbold  lending  the 
closest  attention,  and  when  I  paused  he  remarked : 

"My  good  girl,  you  have  made  great  progress." 

"Under  Malcolm's  influence,  Archbold.  I  think 
he  must  have  special  power." 

"There  is  little  doubt  of  it — a  neglected  gift  and 
only  needs  the  proper  development  to  be  of  high 
value.     Well,  ]\Ialcolm,  my  son.  I  obtained  a  strong 

345 


impression  last  night  which  is  now  confirmed  by 
your  account  of  Stella's  communication.  I  had 
been  asleep — when  I  awoke — possibly  there  had 
been  some  dreaming,  but  my  first  conscious  thought 
was  related  to  you  and  your  aflfairs  North.  Then 
I  heard  what  seemed  to  be  a  low,  moaning  sound,  as 
of  one  in  distress.  With  all  my  strength  I  pro- 
jected my  spirit  to  your  city,  and  held  my  hearing 
faculties  in  extreme  suspension.  At  length  came 
low,  but  clear,  in  broken  tones :  'If  Malcolm,  my 
boy  were  here !  Oh,  can  he  not  be  reached — can  he 
not  come  soon  ?  Those  men !  If  he  were  only  here !' 
Repetitions  of  this  occurred  and  similar  language 
addressed  to  friends  or  attendants  whose  replies  I 
could  not  collect." 

"It  was  my  mother,  Archbold.  She  was  in  one 
of  those  attacks  of  painful  heart  trouble,  from  which 
she  has  suffered  now  and  then  during  the  past  three 
years.     I  feel  quite  sure  of  it." 

"Very  likely,  and  aggravated  by  some  disaster 
affecting  your  interests.  I  have  not  come  to  say 
what  you  should  do,  my  boy,"  he  added  with  ten- 
derness. 

"Your  advice  would  be  most  grateful,  dear  coun- 
cillor. But  I  have  already  determined  to  leave 
Oudemon,  if  I  may,  at  the  earliest — to-morrow 
morning,  at  sunrise." 

"As  a  dutiful  son  and  faithful  friend  would  do. 
All  our  people  will  regret  the  sudden  going — but 
we  cannot  say  a  word  to  modify  your  decision,  my 

346 


dear  boy.  No,  we  shall  help  to  speed  you  on  the 
way." 

"Oh,  dear  cousin,  I  am  so  sorry,"  exclaimed 
Stella,  bursting  into  tears,  and  throwing  her  arm 
around  me,  as  we  sat  in  the  goalone. 

"Ah,  }}ia  petite,  the  best  of  friends  must  part,"  I 
returned  with  an  assumption  of  vivacity  I  was  far 
from  feeling.  At  the  same  time  I  touched  her  pure 
forehead  with  my  lips,  then  added :  "Now  you  will 
have  time  to  run  over  to  school,  and  Archbold  and 
I   can  ride  home  together." 

"No,  I  cannot  go  to  the  school  to-day,  dear  cousin. 
You  will  allow  me  to  help  you  all  I  can  to  get  ready, 
will  you  not?"  the  weeping  girl  said  in  a  voice  of 
entreaty. 

"Most  gladly,  dear  child." 


347 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

RETURNING  HOME. 

I  NEED  not  recite  the  incidents  of  my  parting  with 
a  people  who  had  become  endeared  to  me  as  no 
strangers  met  elsewhere  in  the  world  had  ever  be- 
come. It  may  only  be  said  that  if  these  Oudemon 
people  had  been  of  my  blood  and  near  kindred  of 
my  heart  the  company  of  two  hundred  or  more  that 
accompanied  me  in  the  early  dawn  to  the  ridge 
could  not  have  shown  more  affection  and  solicitude. 
They  bid  me  God-speed  with  many  an  embrace  and 
hand  pressure,  and  watched  with  tearful  attention 
my  every  movement.  Ellice  and  her  brother  Percy, 
Stella,  father  and  mother  Bruce,  and  the  ever  calm 
Archbold  wept  freely ;  the  girls  kissed  me  repeatedly 
and  each  at  the  last  minute  forced  a  small  package 
in  sealed  paper  into  my  coat  pocket. 

Having  ascended  to  the  summit  of  the  great  wall 
in  the  aerolat  I  waved  my  hand  and  cried :  Good- 
by,  ever  dearest  friends,"  to  those  so  far  below,  and 
then  with  spirit  greatly  dejected  gave  the  necessary 
attention  to  the  descent  on  the  other  side.  Julius 
was  by  my  side,  as  when  months  before  I  had  scaled 
that  awe-inspiring  barrier — nearly  four  months  so 
quickly,  so  happily  sped,  and  so  full  of  strange  ex- 

348 


periences.  The  air,  perfectly  transparent  at  that 
early  hour  revealed  objects  at  a  great  distance. 

"Look  there,"  said  Julius,  pointing  toward  the 
northwest,  "can  you  see  a  faint  column  of  smoke?" 
I  saw  it.     "That  is  the  hacienda  of  Sefior  Miquel." 

But  I  had  little  heart  for  the  prospect,  wonder- 
fully beautiful  as  it  appeared  in  the  searching  rays 
of  an  opposite  sun.  At  the  foot  of  the  ridge  were 
Champlin  and  Dexter  Lomas. 

"My  dear  fellows,  you  here?  I  am  very  glad  to 
see  you,  for  you  were  not  among  the  friends  on  the 
other  side." 

"No,  we  came  over  to  look  a  little  to  arrange- 
ments for  the  journey,"  returned  Dexter. 

"Are  you  going  down  with  me?"  I  asked  joy- 
fully. 

"We  are,  dear  Malcolm,"  said  the  engineer, 
"Julius  and  I,  to  the  coast,  if  you  wall  permit ;  and 
Dexter  is  going  to  Trinidad,  so  that  we  shall  have 
his  company  for  thirty  miles  or  so." 

There  was  my  horse,  too,  looking  well ;  better,  in 
fact,  than  when  we  had  left  him.  Evidently  he  had 
been  cared  for  while  staying  on  the  lofty  platform. 
My  pack,  somewhat  larger  than  when  it  had  entered 
Oudemon,  was  secured  to  his  back,  and  we  began  the 
scramble  down  hill.  Remembering  the  struggle 
and  trials  encountered  in  getting  up  I  expected  a 
toilsome  and  perilous  going  down,  but  the  aerial 
dress  and  the  reinforcement  of  two  additional  com- 
panions seemed  to  divest  the  broken  and  difficult 

349 


route  of  most  of  its  dangers,  and  ere  the  sun  had 
fairly  dispelled  the  shadows  of  the  ridge  we  were 
on  the  plain  and  nearing  the  river.  That  was 
crossed  at  a  point  fourteen  miles  lower  down  than 
where  I  had  forded  it. 

When  we  reached  the  stream  I  noted  that  while  it 
was  comparatively  narrow  there,  it  was  evidently 
deeper,  and  fell  to  speculating  as  to  how  we  should 
get  over.  Julius,  however,  relieved  me  of  uncer- 
tainty by  running  out  a  neat  skiff,  built  like  those 
on  the  lakes  and  streams  of  Oudemon,  of  thin  metal 
ribs  and  a  tough  canvas,  from  a  cover  of  rushes  and 
low  salix.  In  this  we  embarked.  My  pony,  after 
being  relieved  of  the  pack,  was  coaxed  into  the 
water,  and  Julius  sat  at  the  stern  towing  him  by  a 
strap  buckled  to  his  bridle;  the  other  two  men 
swung  the  paddle,  making  good  pace.  Thus  we 
crossed  in  less  than  half  the  time  that  was  occupied 
by  the  ranchero  and  me  at  the  upper  point. 

Having  placed  the  boat  in  a  safe  mooring  on  the 
west  bank  we  made  our  way  directly  west  until  a 
little  after  noon  we  stopped  in  the  shade  of  a  clump 
of  dwarf  oak,  where  we  ate  our  luncheon.  Dexter 
here  left  us,  thanking  me  warmly  for  my  interest  in 
his  personal  behalf,  and  hoping  it  would  be  his 
pleasure  to  see  me  again.  "Only  let  us  know  that 
you  will  come,"  he  said,  "and  I  shall  gladly  meet 
you  anywhere  between  the  ridge  and  the  coast." 

The  passage  of  the  river  so  much  lower  down 
shortened  the  return  march  by  several  miles,  so  that 

350 


we  jogged  over  the  uneven  plain  leisurely,  reaching 
the  stockade  of  the  hospitable  ranchero  that  same 
evening  not  long  after  the  sun  had  set.  The  same 
welcome  and  the  same  courteous  entertainment  were 
immediately  proffered  by  Sehor  Miquel,  whose  in- 
quiries concerning  our  success  in  the  gulches  were 
shrewdly  answered  by  the  engineer.  Referring  to 
the  statement  that  I  had  made  when  in  his  company 
previously,  to  the  effect  that  my  trip  was  one  chiefly 
of  observation,  the  sehor's  curiosity  as  to  my  success 
appeared  to  be  fairly  satisfied  by  my  saying  that  I 
had  seen  a  really  excellent  outcrop  of  gold  bearing 
rock,  but  at  a  station  that  would  demand  an  expen- 
sive equipment  of  tools  and  machinery  for  working 
to  advantage. 

*Tf  I  could  organize  a  company,  senor,  and  send 
men  and  machinery  there — a  pretty  hard  and  costly 
undertaking,  you  know — I  belive  a  handsome  profit 
might  be  made." 

Oh,  the  senor  knew  "there  was  plenty  gold  in  the 
mountain,"  and  hoped  that  I  would  succeed  in  mak- 
ing the  company,  and  come  back. 

On  the  following  morning  we  started  early  on 
fresh  horses,  the  ranchero  making  another  exchange 
for  my  pony  and  providing  me  with  a  quick-footed 
mustang,  while  Champlin  and  Julius  bought  their 
mounts  with  Bolivian  silver,  the  planter  agreeing  to 
allow  a  fair  price  for  the  animals  if  brought  back 
within  a  month  or  two.  Excellent  progress  was 
made  now,  the  better  traveling  witnessing  to  the 

351 


fact  that  my  companions  knew  their  route,  a  quite 
different  one  from  that  I  had  followed  when  going 
eastward :  a  very  direct  course  that  occasionally  led 
us  through  rough  pieces  of  bush  or  low  forest  that 
on  approach  appeared  intimidating,  but  which 
proved  penetrable  without  much  effort. 

A   RENCONTRE  THAT   MIGHT    HAVE   PROVED   SERIOUS. 

On  the  sixth  day  out  from  Vadera  we  encoun- 
tered a  broad  stretch  of  light  wood  and  brush  which 
occupied  fully  three  hours  in  the  passage,  part  of 
which  time,  however,  was  spent  over  the  noon  ration. 
On  emerging  from  the  thicket  we  saw  at  no  great 
distance  a  group  of  horsemen  riding  leisurely  toward 
us.  There  were  five  of  them.  Bringing  my  glass 
to  bear,  the  one  I  used  when  prospecting  from  the 
tower  on  observation  day,  I  noted  that  they  were 
armed,  two  carrying  rifles  strung  from  their  saddles, 
the  others  having  a  good  supply  of  pistols.  Men- 
tioning this  to  Champlin  he  said :  "Rough  fellows, 
no  doubt,  like  most  of  those  who  spend  their  time 
cruising  on  the  plains." 

They  were  not  long  in  sighting  us,  which  was 
indicated  by  a  general  halt  and  apparent  confer- 
ence, the  distance,  probably  of  two  miles  and  a  half, 
enabling  us  to  watch  them  carefully.  The  confer- 
ence was  of  brief  duration,  then  each  man  looked 
to  his  accoutrement,  the  riflemen  unslinging  their 


352 


pieces   and   all    resuming-   the   forward   movement 
in  closer  order,  upon  their  nimble  mustangs. 

"'What  do  you  really  think  of  them,  Julius?" 
I  asked.  "Their  appearance  to  me  is  not  assur- 
ing of  gentleness." 

"They  are  mounted,  friend  Malcolm,  like  cer- 
tain of  the  reckless  fellows  one  meets  down  be- 
low Trinidad.  You  may  know  that  there  are  many 
parties  of  desperate  vagabonds  prowling  in  the  plains 
and  mountains  of  Bolivia,  Buenos  Ayres  and  Peru — 
a  desperate,  irresponsible  class  of  men  created  by 
the  political  conditions  of  most  of  the  South  Amer- 
ican States.  Born  and  reared  as  most  of  the  people 
on  this  coast  are,  it  is  not  strange  that  so  many  are 
but  half  developed  morally,  and  circumstances  do  the 
rest  toward  converting  a  large  proportion  of  the 
remainder  into  rough,  careless  freebooters." 

"Such  men  are  dangerous  then,"  I  remarked,  still 
using  my  glass. 

"They  are  so  considered  by  the  quiet  planters  and 
herdsmen  of  the  country.  But  after  all  there  is  more 
good  in  the  unfortunate  fellows  than  may  appear 
on  the  surface  to  most  of  us." 

"Well,  you  are  a  true  Oudemonite,  Julius,  in  that 
view;  but  for  my  part  I  should  consider  myself 
warranted  in  taking  such  precautions  as  were  avail- 
able against  the  manifest  evil  of  them,  for  the  good 
might  be  rather  tardy  in  exhibiting  itself." 

"It  is  the  part  of  wisdom,"  here  remarked  the 
engineer,  who  had  not  been  indifferent  to  the  ap- 

353 


proaching  party,  "to  prepare  for  surprises;  but  at 
the  same  time,  my  dear  boy,  let  us  not  anticipate 
evil  in  this  case.'* 

"No,  surely,  good  master  workman,"  I  returned, 
laughing,  "but  as  for  preparation  against  surprises 
my  old  shooting  iron  is  in  my  valise,  where  it  has 
been  the  past  three  months;  since,  indeed,  a  certain 
day  when  I  was  made  acquainted  with  the  vast  supe- 
riority of  Oudemon  gunnery." 

We  were  now  within  a  mile  of  the  strange  horse- 
men, and  each  party  could  easily  note  the  action  of 
the  other  in  that  clear  level.  I  observed  that  the 
strangers  rode  weapon  in  hand.  Without  further 
remark,  Chanplin,  who  was  in  the  lead,  turned  his 
horse  slightly  toward  the  left,  and  at  the  same  time 
felt  in  one  of  the  pockets  of  his  blouse  as  if  to 
make  sure  of  something  being  there.  Our  change 
of  direction,  trifling  as  it  was,  did  not  escape  atten- 
tion, for  the  approaching  party  also  shifted  their 
course  so  as  to  make  meeting  certain,  and  they 
quickened  their  pace  also.  I  hinted  this  in  a  low 
tone,  to  which  Julius  nodded,  and  said : 

"Brothers,  why  not  a  little  experiment  now — be- 
fore we  get  almost  too  close  to  them?" 

"As  you  please,  Julius,"  replied  the  engineer.  The 
former  then  drew  from  his  pocket  a  heavy  looking 
cylinder  of  metal  about  seven  inches  in  length 
which  reminded  me  at  once  of  Willis'  gun,  on  a  small 
scale.     I  smiled  and  said  : 


354 


"I  am  fond  of  experiments,  but  what  new  freak 
have  you  for  us,  good  boy?" 

"Do  not  be  in  a  grievous  hurry,  Malcolm,"  said 
he  lightly,  "but  just  study  that  young  laurel  yon- 
der." At  the  same  time  he  aimed  the  tube  carefully 
at  the  tree,  which  was  perhaps  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  off,  a  little  to  the  right,  and  so  nearly  be- 
tween the  approaching  horsemen  and  ourselves. 

The  low  snap  of  the  released  gas  was  followed 
by  a  heavy,  tearing  detonation,  with  a  burst  of  flame 
and  bluish  smoke  that  enveloped  the  tree  com- 
pletely, then  cleared  away  rapidly,  leaving  a  sorry 
enough  relict  of  the  thrifty  young  growth  of  a  few 
seconds  before.  Nearly  every  leaf  and  fresh  shoot 
had  been  stripped  off,  the  bright  greenness  of  bough 
and  twig  was  gone,  and  scarcely  more  than  a  dis- 
torted skeleton  stood  there.  Of  course,  I  knew  the 
thorough  work  of  those  terrible  little  shells,  and 
the  reader  has  been  given  an  example  or  two  of 
their  power  in  the  course  of  this  narrative,  and  so 
may  not  be  surprised  by  what  happened  to  the 
tree;  but  with  the  desperadoes  of  the  pampas,  the 
case  proved  quite  different.  They  were  not  pre- 
pared for  Julius'  experiment  evidently,  for  immedi- 
ately after  the  explosion  they  halted  as  if  to  watch 
the  volume  of  smoke,  and  then,  as  if  impressed  by 
the  wrecked  appearance  of  the  tree,  drew  closer 
together  and  stood  as  if  in  consultation  over  the 
occurrence.  We  continued  our  course,  and  ap- 
proached within  fifty  or  sixty  yards  of  the  men 

355 


while  they  were  yet  talking  among  themselves: 
then  the  engineer  hailed  them  in  the  rude  Spanish 
of  the  country,  and  asked  if  they  were  amigos.  To 
the  hail  there  was  a  general  answer  in  rough  tones : 
"Si,  Senor;  si.  si." 

"Very  likely  they  are  now,"  said  Julius  dryly, 
who  still  held  his  shooting  tube  in  the  free  hand. 

"A  band  of  mischief  makers,  I  am  convinced,"  re- 
marked the  engineer  in  a  low  tone.  "That  fellow 
with  the  bright  yellow  stripes  in  his  jacket  I  have 
seen  before ;  he  is  one  of  the  worst  of  the  marauders 
known  on  the  plains." 

Shouting  again,  Champlin  said :  "If  friends,  have 
the  goodness  to  put  up  your  weapons,  and  we  will 
come  up  to  you." 

At  this  order  the  robber  gang  started,  three  of 
them  partly  raised  their  pieces,  the  one  with  the 
fancy  jacket  carrying  his  rifle  quite  to  the  shoulder. 
Then,  as  if  moved  by  a  second  thought,  he  slung 
the  weapon  in  its  place,  and  the  others  of  the  party 
followed  suit,  the  pistols  being  rammed  into  their 
leathern  loups.  We  drew  rein  within  forty  feet  of 
the  renegades,  and  Champlin  entered  into  a  little 
talk  with  them,  making  inquiry  about  certain  routes 
and  settlements,  and  affairs  political.  One  of  them, 
as  I  inferred  from  his  pointing  to  the  tree,  was 
very  curious  to  know  how  the  shot  had  been  fired 
that  had  done  so  much  havoc,  and  the  engineer, 
with  a  light  laugh,  drew  out  of  his  pocket  a  tube 
similar  to  that  of  Julius',  and  merely  waved  it  play- 

356 


fully  toward  the  robber  group.  At  which  they  all 
involuntarily  started  and  made  as  if  to  interpose 
their  faithful  ponies  between  them  and  harm. 

"A  wonderful  gun  that  of  yours,  Sefior,"  said 
he  of  the  yellow  stripes,  with  a  malicious  grin. 

"Yes,"  said  the  engineer;  "one  shot  would  kill 
you  all  easily;  even  the  poor  ponies  could  not 
escape.  Your  rifles  and  revolvers  there  are  only  toy 
pepper  boxes." 

"It  must  be  a  new  invention,"  rejoined  the  rough 
fellow,  gazing  at  the  weapon  eagerly.  "May  I  ask 
where  it  can  be  obtained?" 

"Not  on  the  general  market,  friend,  as  yet;  al- 
though our  fellows  have  them.  I'm  not  much  of 
a  shot  myself,  but  my  comrade  here  is  an  adept; 
think  he  could  destroy  a  wolf  at  a  thousand  yards." 
Julius  laughed,  and  held  up  the  bit  of  brown  metal 
with  which  he  had  riddled  the  tree. 

The  demeanor  of  the  rascally  gang  became  even 
more  respectful  at  this  exhibition.  Knowing  their 
lives  forfeited  by  the  law  of  the  country,  men 
who  held  in  their  hands  weapons  of  such  wholesale 
power  of  destruction  could  not  but  command  their 
respect,  if  not  their  fear;  and  I  noted  certain  fur- 
tive glances  that  intimated  that  they  were  not  en- 
tirely sure  we  would  not  suddenly  overwhelm  them 
with  the  short,  swift  penalty  that  their  crimes  de- 
served. 

THE    QUALITY   OF    MERCY. 

Little  more  was  said;  then  we  rode  on,  accom- 
panied   with    numerous    exclamations    of    "adios" 

357 


from  the  discomfited  wretches.  Looking  back  five 
minutes  later  we  saw  them  assembled  near  the  un- 
fortunate tree,  evidently  studying  its  condition  and 
venturing  guesses  as  to  the  character  of  the  firearm 
that  had  done  so  much  execution  at  a  distance. 

"It  was  too  pretty  a  tree  to  be  treated  that  way, 
Julius,"  I  remarked  in  an  affected  tone  of  regret. 
"The  plains  are  not  over  furnished  with  such  speci- 
mens." 

"I  am  sorry  almost  that  I  shot  at  it,  Malcolm. 
Yet  I  was  sure  that  we  must  anticipate  the  purpose 
of  those  men  and  save  a  collision." 

"Not  knowing  just  how  it  might  end  for  us  or 
them,"  added  Champlin. 

"Well,  my  dear  comrades,  let  me  own  that  it  was 
a  pretty  solution  of  a  problem  that  I  first  believed 
to  be  serious.  Really,  I  thought  you  were  going  to 
parley  with  the  cutthroats,  and  felt  that  they  would 
use  their  guns  and  parley  afterward  among  them- 
selves over  the  contents  of  my  pack  and  your 
satchels." 

The  engineer  smiled,  and  Julius  looked  whimsi- 
cally at  me.  Catching  the  meaning  of  their  silent 
expression,  I  added : 

"Perhaps  it  was  I  who  was  too  'fresh,'  as  we 
say  North,  and  was  for  the  moment  outdoing  you 
Oudemonians  in  my  notion  of  what  might  be  a 
practical  application  of  Oudemon  principle." 

"We  had  to  deal  with  a  different  class  of  men 
there,"  rejoined  Julius,  bending  his  head  slightly 

358 


backward,  "and  for  the  safety  of  all  concerned  tried 
the  experiment." 

"I  have  not  a  word  of  further  protest  to  offer, 
dear  boys — a  very  judicious  maneuver,  and  so 
positive  in  effect.  After  that  shot  those  freebooters 
must  have  been  forcibly  convinced  that  we,  or 
rather  you,  were  most  dangerous  beings  and  not  to 
be  trifled  with.  Have  you  ever  found  yourselves 
in  the  situation  where  it  was  necessary  to  apply  the 
argumentum  ad  homincm  in  that  manner  more  di- 
rectly?" 

"No,  I  rejoice  to  say,  Malcolm,"  answered  the 
engineer.  "That  would  be  indeed  most  horrible, 
such  a  perversion  of  the  Royal  Law." 

"Do  you  mean  then,  my  good  Bross,  that  even 
in  extreme  danger,  when  attacked  by  these  treacher- 
ous ruffians  of  the  wild,  you  would  not  defend 
yourself  with  the  means  for  protection  that  Provi- 
dence has  committed  to  your  hands?" 

"Malcolm,  think  well  of  the  terrible  effect  of 
these  explosives;  so  innocent  looking  superficially, 
and  yet  so  thoroughly  destructive,"  said  the  engi- 
neer with  deep  gravity.  "No,  I  believe,  and  most 
of  us  who  have  anything  to  do  with  outside  people 
believe  also,  that  it  is  possible  in  the  most  trying 
circumstances  to  influence  those  who  seem  bent 
upon  your  injury." 

"Yes,  most  likely,  at  the  right  moment  you  may 
defeat  the  wicked  purposes  of  pirates  and  bandits 
through  surprises  that  appeal  to  their  wonder  sense 

359 


and  their  fear,  and  being  provided,  as  you  are,  with 
such  an  effective  weapon  for  defence,  as  well  as  of- 
fence, you  can  surely  appeal  to  their  most  active 
faculties." 

"But  if  we  w^ere  not  so  provided,  brother,"  re- 
joined Julius,  "would  we  not  find  an  application  of 
the  Royal  Law  effective?  The  w^orst  of  men  have 
still  a  bit  of  human  in  them;  their  soul  is  not  all 
dead  to  the  touch  of  kindness  and  sincerity.  You 
remember  the  early  missionaries  and  travelers  who 
have  gone  among  the  most  savage  races  alone,  and 
lived  W'ith  them  unharmed — Park,  Le  Caron,  Jud- 
son,  Livingstone,  Moffat,  Vambery?  Prudence 
and  kindness  were  their  chief  w^eapons.  Some  of 
your  medical  folks,  I  am  told,  treat  their  sick  with 
very  weak  medicines  on  the  principle  that  'mild 
influences  subdue  the  strong.'  Is  it  not  best  to 
treat  people  generally  on  that  line?" 

"Well,  good  Julius,  I  will  not  contest  the  point 
with  you.  I  guess  you  have  the  stronger  side  from 
the  ethical  and  metaphysical  points  of  view  any- 
way; yet  there's  nothing  like  having  your  meta- 
physics backed  up  by  undeniably  potent  auxiliaries 
of  a  material  consistency,  eh?  Just  suppose  that 
those  fellows  ambush  you  on  your  return " 

"Pardon,  Malcolm,  if  we  remind  you  again  that 
we  are  not  given  to  anticipate  evil." 

"I  accept  the  reproof  as  opportune,  dear  Bross. 
The  old  habits  of  civilization — ours  up  North — 
must  be  my  apology.     Ah.  your  life  back  there  in 

360 


that  land  of  Beulah  is  so  cheerful,  generous  and  re- 
ciprocal that  one  has  never  occasion  to  think  of  any- 
thing saving  of  'envy,  hatred  and  malice'  in  his  re- 
lations with  neighbors." 

"Really,  dear  brother,"  remarked  the  engineer 
affectionately,  "you  know  the  great  world  of  men 
better  than  we  do,  and  your  counsel  shall  be  heeded. 
Julius  and  I  will  be  vigilant,  you  may  be  assured, 
for,  as  you  have  intimated,  the  object  lesson  we 
have  given  them  may  stimulate  their  avaricious 
cunning  to  plan  most  skilfully  to  entrap  us." 

FROM    CALLAO   WITH   CONFIRMATIONS. 

No  further  incident  of  a  striking  nature  occurred 
in  our  journey,  and  its  very  direct  course  brought 
us  to  the  railway  terminus  in  ten  days  less  time  than 
my  trip  eastward  had  occupied.  Facilitated  in  this 
material  respect  the  distance  from  Oudemon  to 
Callao  seemed  to  have  been  greatly  abridged,  so 
that  when  we  rolled  into  that  city  the  New  Year 
festivities  were  still  on,  and  the  diversity  and  novel- 
ty of  their  celebration  offered  so  much  attraction 
that  the  days  passed  rapidly  w^hile  waiting  for  the 
date  of  sailing.  My  tw^o  friends  roomed  at  the 
same  hotel  and  were  constantly  with  me  until  the 
hour  I  walked  up  the  gang  plank  of  the  steamer. 
How  loth  I  was  to  part  with  them !  Yet,  on  the  in- 
stant of  departure  weakly  enough  did  I  repeat  my 
regret  and  grief  at  bidding  farewell  to  persons  who 
had  become  inexpressibly  dear  to  me. 

.^6 1 


"Ah,  Malcolm,  you  may  return  and  stay  with 
us,"  tenderly  returned  Bross,  "but  would  it  be  best 
after  all?  You  acted  with  fine  judgment  in  your 
association  with  Ellice  Denton,  and  loyally  recog- 
nized the  claim  of  your  own  folk  upon  you.  When 
again  among  the  old  friends  settle  yourself  to  the 
life  and  conditions  to  which  you  have  been  accus- 
tomed, and  I  trust  that  you  will  not  find  it  hard  to 
apply  some  of  our  ways,  that  you  approve,  to  the 
course  of  things  up  there.  You  should  marry,  my 
dear  boy." 

"Bross,  my  dear  friend,  if  I  could  realize  but  a 
tithe  of  the  domestic  peace  and  comfort  of  yonder 
community,  how  ready  I  should  be  to  marry." 

"You  can,  brother;  for  it  must  be  remembered 
that  the  happiness  of  home  depends  upon  one's  self 
for  the  most  part;  upon  living  seriously,  and  yet 
cheerfully  in  accordance  with  the  Royal  Law.  Be- 
ginning with  the  wife  and  family,  respect,  and  com- 
pliance with  the  spirit  of  that  wonderful  code  ex- 
tended beyond  and  made  part  of  our  conduct  in  the 
general  relations  of  society,  we  shall  not  fail  of 
realizing  the  gracious  promises  of  Him  who  formu- 
lated that  Law.  You  will  marry,  I  doubt  not,  the 
worthy  young  woman  you  have  told  us  much  of, 
and  you  and  she,  I  am  sure,  can  help  each  other 
to  be  content  and  happy.  Perhaps  we  may  hear 
of  each  other.  If  you  have  not  acquired  sufficient 
knowledge  of  the  method  by  impression  there  is 
the  raven  mail,  you  know,  for  an  occasional  mes- 

362 


sage  from  the  distant  brother.  You  can  interpret 
our  writing  and  an  answer  to  such  tidings  as  we 
might  send  would  be  expected  from  you." 

"Most  gladly,  Bross  and  Julius,  shall  I  receive 
any  message,  and  most  heartily  reply.  Could  I 
ever  forget  you  all?  Impossible.  And  in  the  world 
to  come,  of  whose  existence  you  have  taught  me  to 
hold  a  stronger  belief,  I  shall  expect  to  meet  you." 

The  disturbances  in  the  Colombian  territory 
hinted  at  in  Olive's  letter  must  have  been  adjusted, 
as  I  heard  little  about  them  and  experienced  no  in- 
terruption on  my  journey  across  the  isthmus. 

At  Aspinwall  I  obtained  letters  that  had  but  then 
arrived  and  which  apprised  me  of  the  illness  of 
mother  and  of  the  failure  of  the  company  that  had 
been  carrying  the  larger  half  of  my  investments, 
and  also  of  the  bankruptcy  of  an  intimate  friend, 
the  Langer  of  Stella's  singular  communication. 
Olive  wrote  in  clear  yet  cheerful  terms  of  what  she 
knew  regarding  the  affairs  that  affected  my  financial 
relations : 

"You  will  have  leisure,  dear  Malcolm,  on  your 
trip  homeward,  should  you  read  the  letters  lately 
sent  you,  to  review  the  matter ;  and  perhaps  because 
so  arbitrarily  separated  from  direct  contact  with 
the  persons  who  are  responsible  for  the  present  un- 
happy condition,  you  will  be  the  better  prepared 
to  meet  it,  and,  knowing  you  not  to  be  wanting  in 
resources,   I   may  expect — may   I   not? — that  you 


will  show  yourself  capable  of  dealing  wisely  witH 
those  who  have  been  unfaithful  or  careless ;  and  of 
saving  from  further  disaster  what  may  remain  to 
your  credit  on  the  books  of  the  M.  C.  Company. 
But  fortunate  or  unfortunate  as  the  final  outcome 
may  be,  you  know  that  my  trust  in  you  will  be 
ever  unshaken,  and  the  little  aid,  material  or  other- 
wise, I  can  give  will  be  wholly  at  your  service." 

Thus  the  noble  young  woman  offered  her  sym- 
pathy and  personal  help — quite  contrasting  with 
certain  lines  of  peevish  remarks  charging  me  with 
contributing  to  "the  pitiful  state  of  my  affairs  by 
unnecessary  absence  and  a  wild  goose  chase,"  which 
occurred  in  a  brief  letter  from  my  elder  sister. 


364 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

AT    HOME. 

Two  weeks  later  I  stepped  upon  the  dock,  and  in 
half  an  hour  was  set  down  with  my  luggage  at  my 
old  quarters.  An  immediate  visit  to  my  mother 
followed.  She  was  sitting  up,  but  still  very  weak. 
Rejoiced  to  see  her  only  boy  again,  the  color  lighted 
up  her  pale  cheeks,  and  seemed  an  augury  of  re- 
turning strength  and  health.  A  long,  long  talk 
with  Olive,  and  then  I  addressed  myself  to  those 
business  interests  deemed  so  full  of  embarrassment 
and  peril  to  what  of  fortune  and  credit  I  had  been 
supposed  to  possess. 

Very  soon  I  learned  that  the  situation  was  grave 
enough.  To  save  himself  from  threatened  ruin 
and  disgrace,  Cecil  Langer,  a  man  who  had  for 
years  possessed  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the 
social  and  business  community,  had  negotiated 
valuable  funds  of  mine  and  others,  deposited  as  a 
trust  in  his  banking  house.  He  had  struggled  to 
prevent  their  final  sale  on  his  account,  and  finding 
that  a  depressed  state  of  the  stock  market  would  pre- 
vent any  realization  at  all  helpful  to  his  complica- 
tions, had  left  the  city  for  Canada.  When  I  ar- 
rived the  brokers  were  on  the  point  of  throwing 

365 


these  funds  upon  the  public.  Hastening  to  them  I 
obtained  two  days'  delay  by  pledging  the  savings  of 
Olive,  the  warm-hearted  girl  forcing  the  deposit 
upon  me.  Indeed,  she  had  herself  previously  called 
at  the  bankers  and  offered  the  same,  assuring  them 
that  on  my  return  I  would  immediately  make  the 
best  efforts  possible  to  adjust  my  part  in  the 
financial  embarrassment.  To  their  credit  be  it  said 
that  they  declined  the  sacrifice,  which  it  would  have 
inevitably  proved  without  further  advances. 

Then  there  were  the  gold  and  the  few  souvenir 
stones  collected  during  my  visit  in  that  South 
American  country!  Would  the  reader  believe  that 
absorption  in  my  business  embarrassments  had 
caused  me  to  forget  for  the  time  those  possessions? 
Was  it  due  in  part  also  to  a  lingering  doubt  as  to 
their  real  value?  I  had  not  yet  entirely  unpacked 
my  valise  or  examined  all  my  luggage  since  my  re- 
turn. There  was  an  acquaintance,  privileged  of 
course  by  length  of  association,  who  remarked 
rather  acrimoniously  that  I  must  have  spent  a  good 
bit  on  my  long  cruise,  and  what  could  I  show  for 
it?  Somewhat  irritated,  I  replied  with  an  assump- 
tion of  confidence  not  usual :  "You  will  see,  Little- 
bon,  that  I  have  something  to  show  for  it  when 
necessary."  Then  I  hastened  to  my  lodgings  to 
look  over  the  gifts  of  Oudemon. 

Willis  and  Stella  had  assisted  in  making  up  the 
well-strapped  pack  that  had   gone  through  many 

366 


hands  unfastened  until  deposited  in  my  home  room. 
On  the  voyage  all  articles  needed  for  use  daily  were 
carried  in  a  "grip,"  so  there  was  no  occasion  to 
open  the  larger  piece  of  luggage.  Now,  on  turning 
out  the  effects  it  contained,  there  was  the  heavy 
mineral  specimen  with  its  brilliant  crystalline  sur- 
face safely  ensconced  in  its  wrappings,  and  in  the 
pocket  of  the  light  coat  I  had  worn  a  la  maniere 
Oudemon  were  the  small  packages  Ellice  and  Stella 
had  placed  there  the  day  of  my  departure,  Stella  re- 
marking, "Keep  that,  cousin,  until  you  are  home 
again."  Opening  them  several  bright  stones  ap- 
peared— blue,  green,  yellow  and  red  crystals  of  evi- 
dently fine  form.  Two  of  these  I  knew  I  had  seen 
and  admired  in  the  collection  of  Dexter,  and  a  clear 
green  one,  of  the  size  of  a  walnut,  was  most  likely 
the  beryl  suggested  by  Ellice.  Then  there  were  the 
specimens  I  had  picked  up  myself  on  the  first  and 
second  excursions  into  those  mine  recesses  of  my 
accidental  discovery,  one  of  them  of  large  dimen- 
sions, said  to  be  a  ruby,  and  a  second,  the  sapphire 
that  guided  my  steps  in  the  dark  passage. 

Selecting  three  of  the  stones,  and  taking  with 
them  the  broken  ingot,  I  called  at  the  famous 
jewelers  and  collectors  of  bric-a-brac,  Chiffony 
&  Storr,  and  having  been  shown  into  the  private 
office  of  the  manager,  exhibited  my  treasure.  With 
the  block  of  metal  he  was  greatly  impressed,  pro- 
nouncing it  the  most  remarkable  example  of  crystal 
gold   he   had   ever   seen,   and   very  valuable   as   a 

367 


scientific  exhibit,  aside  from  the  mere  weight.  The 
stones  he  declared  to  be  not  only  of  rare  size  and 
symmetry  of  form  and  structure,  but  also  of  ex- 
cellent color;  the  smallest,  an  emerald,  he  estimated 
would  carry  a  value  of  at  least  fifteen  hundred 
dollars,  while  the  other  two,  a  sapphire  and  ruby, 
he  declared  to  be  so  unusual  in  size  and  apparent 
quality  that  he  would  not  venture  to  assess  their 
worth.  On  proposing  to  accept  a  loan  upon  the  lot 
for  a  year,  at  six  per  cent,  interest,  Mr.  Storr  offered 
$10,500,  which  I  accepted  joyfully  at  once. 

With  a  certified  check  for  this  amount  in  my 
pocket  I  repaired  to  the  bankers  and  confidently 
entered  into  a  negotiation  with  them.  The  outcome 
of  this  w^as  that  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  two- 
thirds  of  my  securities  were  returned,  and  it  be- 
coming known  on  the  "street"  that  I  had  adjusted 
the  claims  of  the  bankers,  other  and  minor  involve- 
ments were  easily  arranged,  and  my  innocence  estab- 
lished, so  far  as  any  participation  in  the  operations 
of  Langer  was  concerned.  The  reader  might  as- 
sume that  there  were  not  wanting  some  persons  to 
insinuate  more  or  less  cautiously  that  my  peculiar 
absence  was  not  unrelated  to  the  Langer  defalca- 
tion. May  day  came  with  its  return  of  the  swallow 
and  buttercup  and  found  me  in  possession  of  fully 
three-fourths  of  the  personals,  my  own  and  moth- 
er's, which  three  months  before  were  thought  by 
most  of  my  friends  to  have  been  lost  entirely. 

368 


SETTLING  DOWN. 

Having  vindicated  my  reputation  before  the  busi- 
ness world,  a  matter  of  chief  concern  to  a  man  who 
would  walk  serenely  in  the  community  of  which 
he  is  a  member,  I  re-entered  upon  the  duties  of  my 
old  position  in  the  corporation  of  Personal  Liabil- 
ities (Limited),  and  a  little  later  was  offered  the 
place  of  treasurer  to  that  important  house.  This  I 
declined,  preferring  the  old  relationship  which  I 
had  filled  satisfactorily  in  all  respects.  The  Presi- 
dent, however,  insisted  that  I  should  at  least  ac- 
cept a  chair  in  the  Board  of  Managers.  To  this  I 
acceded,  believing  that  such  a  practical  recognition 
of  business  competence,  while  it  increased  my  in- 
come but  twenty  per  cent.,  would  serve  me  just  as 
well  on  'Change,  and  socially,  as  the  Treasurership, 
and  add  little  to  my  work  and  responsibility.  Be- 
sides, I  entertained  a  high  estimate  of  the  integrity 
and  capabilities  of  the  present  Treasurer.  He  had 
been  with  the  company  twenty-five  years;  was  yet 
alert  and  strong,  and  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the 
house,  and  as  a  Director  I  could  help  to  offset  a 
further  attempt  to  supplant  him  by  a  clique  of  the 
younger  men,  who  had  much  to  say  of  old  fogyism 
and  inappreciation  of  modern  methods  of  finance. 

Settled  now  in  my  affairs  and  pursuing  their  rou- 
tine, my  thoughts,  like  "the  young  man's  fancy  in 
springtime,"  turned  to  love.  Not  "lightly,"  how- 
ever.    I  should  please  my  mother  by  wedding,  and 

369 


could  I  better  please  myself?  So  one  morning  in 
early  July  Olive  and  I  joined  hands  in  the  quiet 
room  of  that  feeble  mother,  whose  tears  of  happy 
content  imparted  a  deeper  sacredness  to  the  bene- 
diction of  the  minister  that  sealed  the  bond,  deciding 
my  social  estate  for  life. 

I  had  not  heard  from  my  far  Southern  home,  as 
I  loved  to  call  Oudemon,  since  leaving  it,  although 
two  or  three  times  there  came  to  me  strong  impres- 
sions, or  low  whisperings  as  it  seemed,  to  which 
I  gave  such  attention  as  circumstances  permitted. 
One  incident  may  be  worth  a  brief  relation :  It  oc- 
curred a  fortnight  after  our  marriage.  Olive  had 
come  to  walk  home  with  me  in  the  early  eventide 
from  the  office,  and  on  the  way  we  turned  into  the 
alley  of  the  fountain  circle.  The  bench  now  in- 
vested with  a  special  interest  was  unoccupied,  and 
quite  unconsciously  we  took  seats  upon  it.  The 
day  had  been  sultry  and  few  people  were  out.  In 
this  little  park  recess  there  were  but  two  or  three 
solitary  loungers.  Mechanically  looking  at  my 
watch  the  thought  flashed  upon  my  mind  that,  al- 
lowing for  the  difference  of  time,  my  Oudemon 
friends  were  then  enjoying  their  evening  recrea- 
tion, and  it  must  be  near  the  hour  of  the  Angelus. 
I  said : 

"Olive,  dear,  do  you  know  this  is  the  time  the 
good  folks  down  in  that  summer  land  are  at  their 
evening  diversions?" 


370 


"Why,  my  husband,  I  was  just  now  thinking  of 
the  same  thing." 

Pressing  her  hand  I  returned  gaily: 

"  'Two  souls  with  but  a  single  thought'  it  seems, 
my  dearest."  Then  a  slight  thrill  appeared  to  vi- 
brate in  my  brain,  and  I  heard  as  it  were  a  low 
whisper :  "We  are  thinking  of  you,  Malcolm,  hop- 
ing all  is  well — be  happy  with  Olive — write  soon." 
The  effect  was  so  marked  that  involuntarily  I  turned 
my  head  and  peered  around  to  see  if  any  person 
were  near  our  bench. 

"What  is  it,  dear?"  inquired  Olive. 

"I  thought  that  some  one  was  certainly  whisper- 
ing to  me,  little  girl,"  and  went  on  to  tell  her  the 
words  that  had  come  to  me. 

"Well,  my  husband,  why  may  you  not  have  heard 
them,"  she  said  assuringly,  "after  all  you  know 
of  such  things,  and  then,  too,  their  peculiar  fitness 
and  power  for  psychic  communication." 

Two  nights  later  I  had  a  dream ;  at  least  it  seemed 
a  dream,  for,  unlike  the  vision  of  Restling  after  I 
had  deciphered  the  secret  message,  I  had  no  con- 
sciousness of  the  waking  state  in  this  case.  In  this 
dream  I  saw  Stella;  she  was  lying  on  the  couch  in 
her  room,  with  one  fair  arm  bare  to  the  shoulder 
thrown  back  upon  the  pillow.  Her  eyes  were  open, 
but  there  was  the  vacant  expression,  or  rather  fixed 
stare  in  them  that  I  well  remembered.  Without 
the  least  movement  she  spoke : 

"We  knew  of  your  troubles,  and  have  given  you 
371 


our  sympathy.  We  are  glad  you  have  taken  to 
your  heart  the  sweet  woman  by  your  side.  We 
shall  never  forget  you.  Do  not  forget  us.  You 
know  we  all  loved  you  very  much.  Write  soon, 
and  expect  letters  from  us  before  long."  Then  the 
expression  changed,  the  stare  was  lost,  a  beautiful 
smile  crept  over  the  face  and  the  eyes  closed  as  if 
to  normal  sleep. 

On  relating  this  "dream"  to  Olive  while  dress- 
ing next  morning,  she  remarked : 

"I  can  believe,  Malcolm  dear,  that  this  was  a 
real  transmission  of  thought.  That  girl  has  spiritual 
powers  which  I  should  like  to  possess." 

*'The  Oudemonites  say  that  persons  are  gifted,  or 
endowed,  specially  with  faculties  for  that  sort  of 
business,  and  who  knows  that  my  little  girl  may  not 
be  gifted  that  way,  too." 

*'I  don't  know,  surely,  about  myself,  dear  boy, 
but  I  believe  it  just  as  much  as  I  believe  that  some 
are  gifted  with  a  genius  for  poetry  or  music,  or  art 
or  anything  else.  Why  not?  Doesn't  the  teach- 
ing of  Christianity  refer  to  the  differences  people 
show  in  mental  and  spiritual  power,  and  speak  of 
particular  gifts?" 

I  nodded  in  answer  to  this,  for  could  I  gainsay 
anything  that  the  dear  girl  might  assert  on  the  line 
of  Christian  doctrine?  She  was  better  read  in  the 
verba  of  Scripture  than  myself,  and  I  felt  gratified 
enough  in  thinking  that  my  far-off  friends  con- 
tinued to  hold  me  in  such  excellent  appreciation. 

Z7^ 


'  In  obedience  to  the  advice  of  the  dream  I  wrote 
a  long  letter  adressed  to  Archbold  in  particular,  and 
to  friends  of  that  distant  country  in  general,  detail- 
ing occurrences  since  my  return  to  the  old  rela- 
tions. Especially  was  note  made  of  the  involve- 
ments found  in  my  affairs,  and  the  signal  help  that 
yellow  stuff  to  which  they  were  so  indifferent  had 
been  in  restoring  the  status  quo.  Yet  I  felt  bound 
to  admit  that  this  last  experience  in  the  financial 
methods  of  "civilization"  had  quite  demonstrated 
the  fact  that  in  their  circumstances  and  with  their 
practices  they  were  happier  without  a  coinage  of 
the  glittering  stuff.  My  marriage  was  dwelt  upon, 
of  course,  and  the  great  improvement  that  had  fol- 
lowed in  my  domestic  situation,  and  the  deep  re- 
gret entertained — the  only  cloud  in  the  resplendent 
blue  of  my  happiness — that  Olive  and  I  could  not 
extend  our  wedding  journey  to  Oudemon.  If  she 
could  have  seen  my  friends  and  their  wonderful 
country,  and  realized  thus  personally  that  there 
was  on  earth  a  large  community  of  men  and  women 
who  had  advanced  so  far  in  the  preferential  use  of 
their  faculties,  in  habits  and  practices  essentially 
altruistic  in  all  things  contributing  to  mutual  sym- 
pathy and  harmony,  my  satisfaction  would  have 
been  perfect. 

A    MESSAGE    SUBSTANTIAL. 

This   letter   I   addressed   to   the   care   of   Sefior 
Miquel,   in  accordance  with  suggestions  given  by 

273 


Champlin.  Two  weeks  later  a  packet  came  into 
my  hands  bearing  Bolivian  and  Peruvian  postmarks. 
It  contained  letters  from  half  a  dozen  of  those  dear 
folks — Archbold,  Willis,  Stella,  Percy,  Dexter  and 
the  aged  Daniel  Norris.  How  delightful  for  Olive 
and  myself  to  read  these,  Olive,  of  course,  following 
the  strange  word  outlines  curiously  as  I  translated 
them !  The  frankness  and  fulness  of  heart  in  which 
their  statements  were  couched  most  earnestly  ap- 
pealed to  our  interested  sensibilities.  They  told  of 
the  current  of  life  in  their  different  homes  and  what 
incidents  of  public  importance  had  demanded  at- 
tention. Dexter  and  Ellice  were  betrothed,  and  the 
happiest  expectations  were  entertained  by  all  re- 
garding the  marriage  that  would  be  celebrated  in 
the  early  part  of  the  coming  Oudemon  summer. 
Both  Archbold  and  Stella  wrote  that  they  antici- 
pated in  part  the  "news"  I  should  write,  for  they 
had  obtained  impressions  now  and  then  of  my  do- 
ings, and  were  glad  that  so  much  success  had  at- 
tended my  efforts  to  unravel  the  tangle  in  my  busi- 
ness affairs,  and  to  make  the  name  of  Browne  as 
clean  as  it  was  before. 

Dexter  wrote  of  the  further  exploration  of  the 
ancient  galleries  in  the  mountain,  the  uncovering 
of  several  rich  veins  of  gold  and  silver,  and  a  very 
valuable  bed  of  mica,  from  which  slabs  of  purest 
transparency  had  been  detached  three  to  five  feet  in 
length.  He  had  secured  the  body  of  the  strange 
animal  quite  entire  and  began  preparing  it  for  the 

374 


museum.  Careful  examination  had  determined  it 
to  be  a  type  of  dinosaur  that  had  survived  the  ages 
and  was  probably  the  last  seen  alive  in  the  world. 
They  had  also  unearthed,  in  an  excavation  com- 
municating with  the  storage  chamber,  several  skele- 
tons, all  of  gigantic  size,  with  crania  showing  an 
unusual  development  of  the  intellectual  and  moral 
faculties. 

Willis  stated  that  the  engineer  on  his  way  home- 
ward from  Callao  fell  in  with  a  considerable  party 
of  freebooters,  among  whom  were  three  of  the  rene- 
gades we  had  encountered,  and  while  they  offered 
no  violence,  they  followed  the  engineer  a  long  dis- 
tance in  the  hope  of  obtaining  information  regard- 
ing the  rich  deposits  of  gold  they  were  sure  he 
knew  of  in  the  hills  beyond  the  river.  One  of 
Miquel's  hands,  who  caught  a  few  words  of  our 
desultory  talk  with  the  ranchero,  had  magnified 
its  vague  statements  about  certain  gulches  where 
the  precious  metal  lay  in  its  virgin  bed,  and  fired 
the  avarice  of  those  half-savage  rovers  to  an  un- 
appeasable heat.  At  the  chapparal,  where  we  had 
sighted  them,  Julius  met  Champlin,  who  had  made 
a  detour  in  a  southerly  direction,  and  after  that  the 
gold-thirsty  wretches  preserved  a  respectful  de- 
meanor until  the  stockade  of  Miquel  came  in  view, 
when,  for  some  reason,  they  fell  back  and  were  lost 
sight  of. 

From  the  correspondence  I  also  learned  that  my 
findings  of  iron  and  corundum  had  been  investi- 

375 


gated,  and  shown  to  be  of  greater  importance  than 
was  supposed  when  the  specimens  were  first  ex- 
amined. Stiles  Morgan  declared  that  a  higher  grade 
of  tool  steel  was  obtainable  from  the  ore,  and  noth- 
ing would  please  him  more  than  to  build  and  equip 
a  new  goalone  for  me  with  motor  parts  from  the 
new  metal.  Thus  it  appeared  that  my  visit  had  not 
been  without  certain  useful  effects  upon  Oudemon 
science  and  industry,  and  it  was  quite  gratifying 
to  think  that  my  indebtedness  to  those  most  worthy 
people  for  entertainment  and  friendly  service,  how- 
ever free  in  the  offering,  was  not  altogether  lack- 
ing in  some  counterbalance  of  a  substantial  nature. 
It  would  have  been  most  delightful  to  have  had 
the  promise  of  a  visit  on  the  part  of  any  of  the 
members  of  that  intimate  circle  by  whom  I  had  been 
surrounded  when  in  the  beloved  country;  but  while 
the  letters  contained  the  warmest  expression  of  re- 
membrance and  affection,  they  were  remarkably 
reticent  concerning  a  renewal  of  personal  inter- 
course. Even  Archbold  and  Stella — I  could  pardon 
Ellice  for  the  omission,  because  of  her  expected 
marital  consummation — did  not  breathe  a  word 
respecting  the  possibility  of  our  meeting  again,  and 
I  own  that  this  omission  piqued  my  self-consequence, 
inspiring  the  thought,  gratuitous  enough  it  should 
be  admitted,  that  a  visitor  of  my  quality  from  the 
outer  civilization  had  exercised  an  influence  upon 
the  small  world  of  Oudemon  that  was  more  or  less 


Z7^ 


disturbing  of  the  quiet  order  deemed  by  the  sages 
essential  to  the  best  interests  of  their  people. 

Well,  since  that  time  the  changes  in  my  life's  rou- 
tine consequent  on  marriage  and  the  growing  de- 
mand of  business  and  social  amenity  upon  my 
attention  have  crowded  out  of  mind  much  of 
thought  that  would  have  been  given  to  Oudemon. 
At  wide  intervals  a  message  has  come  of  the  old 
affectionate,  cheering  nature,  and  occasionally  there 
has  flashed  into  my  brain  an  idea  or  suggestion  that 
I  would  persuade  myself  was  an  impression  borne 
on  the  vibrant  ether  from  friends  below  the  Ameri- 
can equator.  Olive  would  always  persist  in  the 
belief  that  they  were  then  "remembering  us,"  for 
now  and  then  a  vivid  salutation  or  inquiry  seemed 
to  challenge  her  delicate  sensibilities  from  Stella  or 
Ellice,  to  which  she  would  strive  to  make  answer, 
and  I  do  believe  with  fair  success. 

The  reader  may  recall  the  stone  that  Ellice  dis- 
covered during  our  exploration  of  the  mine.  I  had 
slipped  it  into  my  pocket  and  brought  it  home.  One 
day  I  showed  it  to  Lezoont,  expert  lapidary  of  Chif- 
fony  &  Storr.  He  pronounced  it  a  sapphire  of 
great  value.  This  I  had  polished  and  set  in  a  silver 
belt  buckle,  with  Dexter's  beryl  on  one  side  and 
the  ruby  given  me  by  Stella  on  the  other.  Very 
few  who  saw  this  cincture,  worn  by  my  wife  on 
company  occasions — her  only  jeweled  ornament 
aside  from  a  ring  set  with  an  emerald  and  her 
wedding  ring — had  any  conception  of  their  value. 

Z77 


The  emerald  must  have  been  picked  up  by  Jabber, 
as  I  found  it  in  the  basket  he  had  carried  that  event- 
ful day,  with  several  common  pebbles  and  bits  of 
quartz  and  mica  that  he,  it  is  likely,  in  imitation  of 
his  human  companions,  had  gathered.  For  this 
emerald  Chiffony  &  Storr  offered  me  $2,000.  As 
for  the  sapphire  there  was  nothing  like  it  in  their 
wonderful  collection,  or  in  any  other  known  to 
them.  Our  ordinary  acquaintances  admired  Mrs. 
Browne's  pretty  blue,  and  red  stones,  but,  of  course, 
they  were  not  so  very  costly,  otherwise  they  would 
not  be  set  in  "common  silver,"  although  the  design 
of  that  buckle  was  certainly  a  highly  artistic  piece 
of  workmanship,  and  displayed  the  crystals  to  great 
advantage. 


THE   END. 


378 


DONALD  A.  WOLLHEIM 


